Winning the Battle, Losing the War
by mjwrites
Summary: Katniss comes across a person from her not so distant past whilst in 13, and soon finds herself not only been the face of rebellion, but looking out for a person she never expected to have to care about. Hayffie throughout.
1. Chapter 1

**So I read Hunger Games, **_**Mockingjay**_**, for the 20th time at least last night. Not addicted at all... Then I went on Tumblr to talk about my feelings, and I decided to do a Cinna and channel these feelings into my work. And then I went and wrote this instead. It is set during Mockingjay, and is basically a change of events, I got this idea from thinking about the Hunger Games and not school work during school - and it wouldn't leave my head. So enjoy, I guess.**

* * *

><p>Screaming fills my ears suddenly. High pitched, painful… echoing around the room hauntingly. I feel my eyes darting around trying to locate the tortured noise. I am the only one moving, searching for the sound. Everyone else is frozen. Gale, Plutarch, my prep team who have just been relieved of the deadly torment inflicted on them, all stood like statues around me. Even those who had been the deranged antagonists in the treatment of my prep team are stood still. But unlike the others in the room it isn't fear or nervousness that has made their faces turn white. It is something that I can't quite put my finger on. But in the eyes of one of them, I see anger flare up.<p>

Another scream brings me to my senses. I am no longer examining the reactions of those around me, but I am frantically running around the room, trying to find the source of the blood curdling screams. Screams that send chills up my back, manically making every hair stand on end. I hear footsteps behind me; it must be one of the guards coming to cart me off back to my room. But instead I find Gale. He joins me in hitting the walls to find a door… a hole… something to get us to the helpless victim.

It's Plutarch who finds it first. I don't know how he managed it, but I hear his voice calling for me and I barge past the guards who pathetically attempt to hold me back. I hear Gale, once again, following me across the room. It is when I see the Capitol man become tense all of a sudden that I start to worry. His reaction is similar to the one he displayed when we came across Venia, Flavius and Octavia, which only makes dread inside of me build.

Plutarch pushes in front of me before I can make out who is in this room. The stench of blood has suddenly filled my nostrils though. A sickly reminder of the president I am currently rebelling against. The thoughts of Snow whirl around my head rapidly, the rose back in my house in Victors Village, how they smell so disgusting once mingled with the mangled blood laced in his mouth. But they are eradicated once I see Plutarch march into the butchered arena with the scent of blood seeping from every corner. Anger laced on his face in a display of intimidation.

It is then I push past Gale's strong arms and into the room, almost knocking Plutarch to the floor. I think I surprise everyone with this sudden movement, even myself a little.

It isn't a pretty sight that awaits me. I see a man, muscular, at least seven feet tall gripping onto a whip, covered in a heavy maroon. Greeting me is a twisted grin across his face, informing everyone that the torture he is inflicting brings him joy. His grin doesn't waver, even when the person on the floor lets out a cry of anguish and starts to sob. It's the distressed cries that make me look down, and it's then I see the person who was submitted to god knows what unceremoniously slumped on the floor.

Sprawled across the cold stone, her wrists have been tightly tied up by a piece of thick rope, making her arms fused to the wall. The rest of her body is limply disposed on the floor, making it hard to get a good image of what she actually looks like. Her hair is damp and weakly covering her face. Her body is covered in cuts, bruises, and worst of all, blood. Dried and new, indicating the poor girl has been here for a while. She reminds me of one of those people back in my district. You know, the merchant kids. Maybe even Prim. In her curled up position she looks smaller than my younger sister. She also brings Madge, my friend who gave me my Mockingjay pin, to mind - and it is all these similarities that make me bend down and put a hand on her convulsing, sob ridden, body.

She flinches wildly and curls her legs up, managing to look even smaller. It's a sorry sight, and I now see for the first time that a simple rag covers her body. Torn, and like the rest of her, stained by blood lost at the hand of her torturer. I manage to place my palm on her body once more, now that she has calmed down the slightest fraction. She is still shaking wildly, and the sobs are making her body waver even more. But she doesn't move again. Maybe it's because I am not carrying a whip. Maybe because I am showing her kindness, I don't know…

What I do know is that she is as cold as stone. I began to shiver as my hand seemingly freezes upon her pale leg. Her breathing has calmed down now, but tears still fall into her lap. Despite Plutarch telling me to step back and let him deal with it, I move closer. This simple action makes the girl's head lower even further, something I thought impossible, and I look up to see Gale attempting to untie the brutal ropes restraining her. As if she was some kind of wild animal.

"It's okay, we are going to get you out of here now" I whisper to the girl, her answer is a simple whimper laced with fear. She tries to crawl away from me; the ropes don't allow her much movement though so this action is hopeless. "I'm not going to hurt you" I quickly add, even though it is quite possible I already have and my actions have landed her in this mess. The ropes suddenly fall to the ground and the blonde abruptly falls into my chest like a doll been tossed to the side.

I have to stop myself from throwing up; her wrists are battered and bloody. I don't want to think about how tight the ropes must have been around her. What's worse, is the fact that as the ropes fall to the floor, so does a cascade of blood, smashing down to the floor. Even Gale, strong, unmoved Gale, looks ready to empty the contents of his stomach.

Before he can display his revulsion the man has turned to the guard now, the one responsible for beating and whipping the fragile figure sobbing in my lap. Shouting deserved insults at him. I try to ignore the argument and avert my attention to the blonde, wiping her own blood off her arm with my sleeve. But it's useless, her skin still remains red, so instead I focus on the girl's face, pinning a name to her.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying to sound strong, but it comes out cracked. I can feel the girl shaking her head against me. I hate been the one asking questions, so I don't bother asking again. Instead, I take my hand, and brush lifeless locks of blonde hair from the woman's face. She tries to place her hands in front of it in vain, but fails, and I find myself struggling to come up with who the girl is, despite her features looking ever so familiar.

It is only when her eyes meet mine that I manage to come up with something, and I don't like the words I feel bubbling up inside me. Hating the images coming back to haunt me even more as everything falls into place. This girl isn't a merchant's kid; she isn't from my district or any other. She's from the Capitol, and her name is Effie Trinket.


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't expect to update so soon, but you guys loved this for some reason, the emails I got from this, the reviews, the favourites, the putting it on alert… it made my E-mail go slow! Enjoy Chapter two!**

* * *

><p>"Oh god…" Is all I manage to stutter out. The sight of a broken, blood covered, Effie Trinket was something I didn't expect to see during my time in District Thirteen. I expected her to be living it up in the Capitol, partying every night whilst countless people died of starvation, beatings and abandonment. Instead, it was the young woman in my lap close to death after been put through such treatment.<p>

My reaction isn't clever. Not only does it make both Plutarch and Gale avert their gazes to a vulnerable Effie, it makes her whimper and shake, reminding me of a deer I one chased in the woods before I managed to get an arrow in it. I think all eyes are on her as she finally puts her head in her hands. Blood starts to flow from her wrists as she hides her face from us in embarrassment and fear, she doesn't want us here. I don't want her here either, so with a nod to Gale he comes over to my side and helps me lift her. She barely weighs a thing; I didn't need Gale to help me with the task. She was skinny back during the games but now she is on the brink of dying due to starvation. Her gaunt face reminds me all too well of those kids back home who turned to bones as food didn't enter their mouths. I don't want to think about how long she has been here and what she has been through.

My arm manages to snake around her back, but Gale has other ideas. Instead of carrying her between us he lifts her up and carries her from the room like my father used to carry Prim and me to bed. My Prep team, watching me eagerly ever since my arrival in the room, have finally realised who it is and with mouths open in shock, they are suddenly following Gale to the elevator. I shoot a glare at the guard, whose yellow teeth give me another sickening grin and I storm across to Gale. I take Effie's hand in mine. Cold and unforgiving her hands are like ice, and the temperature drop I experience from clenching my hand around hers shoots through me once more, but I refuse to let go.

"We didn't know Katniss…" Venia mutters to me and I nod. If they did, they would have told me. They may be superficial, glamorous and ignorant to what lies outside the capitol, what's really important, but they are not liars. They knew Effie, they would have told me. "I… We didn't…" She says again, trailing off pathetically. It's a sad sight. Capitol citizens, getting a taste of their own medicine. It isn't as appealing as I used to think it would be.

"I know" I say, trying to calm Venia and the others down. The three of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time, but thankfully I don't have to say anything else. We have arrived at the hospital. I ignore all other staff that are eager to see what we offer them and I head straight to my mother. Gale following me, trying not to make Effie move too much in the state she is in. I look back to check that Venia, Flavius and Octavia are following, they need seeing to as well. But they are standing back. I beckon for them to follow and they cautiously do.

Thankfully my mother is on the scene before I can get too worried. I trust only her with these four people. After what I have seen, I don't want anyone from Thirteen to go near any of them. She instructs Gale to lay Effie down on a bed and soon she is been cleaned up. The wounds only remind me of Gale's torment back before the Quell when he was whipped for turning up with a turkey to sell. I think he remembers too, as his disgust at all Capitol citizens is diminished for the time being. He grabs a cloth off a man strikingly familiar to the man with the whip and wipes down Effie's arm.

I turn to my mother once more and begin to push each of my prep team forward. None of them are in a state as bad as poor Effie, but each need attention. I pace around as she leads them to an examination room and seeing as I'm annoying myself, and probably everyone else in proximity to me, I head towards Effie and Gale. Thankful to see her wrists been applied with some sort of green goo and bandaged up. The blood is nearly all gone now.

"Who knew, she actually looks nice without the clownish gunk on her face" Gale says, stepping back. I can't help but glare at him, out of disbelief more than anything else. Effie, of all people, is lying on a bed, covered in deep cuts and black and blue bruises. I thought Gale would understand what she had been through. He had been submitted to it too after all. But instead he is commenting on her lack of makeup.

"Is that all you can think of?" I retort in a sharp whisper and he looks down on me with a steely expression. Apparently his kindness towards my escort in the games as been vaporised just as quickly as it formed. I just hope he isn't enjoying this whole turn of events.

"She'll be fine, so will your prep team" He says simply, before sitting down. I sigh, I know he's right. My team will be okay. Venia, Flavius and Octavia were all walking around and talking, and I'm sure Effie will be the same in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping she will, anyway. I know the scars will be there for a long time. I can only hope the physical scars don't last as long as the mental ones.

"But what if she isn't?" I say, my doubts tumbling from my mouth. For some reason, I am struggling to keep my fears to myself. I don't know why, usually I hold my tongue. Living in District Twelve drills that skill into you, but right now I'm too busy wishing for Effie to be okay to care about what I say, I need an answer to the question. I need to know even if it scares me…

"I don't know" Is all Gale can tell me, and it is the all too familiar feeling about tilting towards the unknown that makes my head drop to my hands. I feel Gale's hand on my back, roaming around in a circular fashion. It is then I jump up, I hear his hand hit the chair I was sat upon seconds ago with a lousy thud. I don't even turn around as I make a hasty exit from the hospital. I hear him shout my name, asking me where I am going. All I do is yell to him over my shoulder, telling him not to leave Effie's side. Then I'm gone.

I'm determined to find the one person here in Thirteen who I know will look after Effie - who can make her better despite everything she has been through. I step in the lift and hit the button so hard I'm surprised it doesn't smash. But I don't really care, it is going too slow. I need to find the man who may be able to stop the woman from becoming a shadow of her former self and just as the doors open to the floor I need, he is there. Charging into the elevator and looking just as shocked to see me as I am to see him.

"What do you want?" He asks, looking me up and down.

Haymitch never fails to get straight to the point.


	3. Chapter 3

**More reviews! Thanks so much guys, and thanks to all you who put this story on favourite, alert and whatnot, it means a lot to me to see people liking and taking an interest in this story! So, shout out to the guys who reviewed this: McMuffin, SilensFlos, Savysnape7, Gentlefurable and MissEffieTrinket. Finally, before we commence with this story, this chapter may contain a little Hayffie fluff, only a little bit, I needed to put a bit in before I got down to the gritty stuff.**

* * *

><p>"Come on then, I haven't got all day" Haymitch says, stepping into the elevator without a care in the world. I find myself wanting to say so many words, but as I open my mouth nothing comes out, which only makes him smirk in his usual annoying fashion. "I can't remember the last time you were this quiet, makes a nice change" He says with a cocky wink, occupied by a grin. It's when his lips twitch upwards to form this toothy, obnoxious smile that I come to my senses again. The cogs in my brain are in overdrive, forming the sentences needed to tell Haymitch what I have just seen, and what he needs to see.<p>

"It's Effie" Is all that comes out though; the sentences I managed to form in my mind have gone. And so has Haymitch's cocky exterior. Instead his hand is running through his hair and a split second later he grabs my shoulders. Shaking me like a mad man, making me feel like an old rag doll. It was a move totally unexpected and yet I should have seen it coming. After all, simply going _'It's Effie'_ isn't a good way to go about things, especially when it is like this.

"What Katniss, what about her?" He's asking me, continuing to shake the answer out of me as I move backwards and forwards in a sickly fashion. I finally pull away from him and his arms limply fall to his sides. I don't miss his hands forming into fists though. "Katniss, tell me. What is the news about Effie?" He says, staring me down. He has no idea she is here. No idea that she has been tortured under our noses. These thoughts make a sickening feeling began to fill in my stomach. But whilst it is queasy and unwelcoming, it makes the words tumble from my mouth.

"Haymitch, she's here, in 13" I say, his eyes light up instantly and I desperately don't want to diminish his joy about telling him what she has been through.

"What? Where?" He asks, walking closer to me. In any other situation I would smile at his reaction. For someone who was persistent on moaning about her and forever coming up with some witty comment like a annoying six year old to contradict everything she came out with, he looks so happy at the prospect of seeing her again. I can see him trying hard not to smile, his eyes giving him away badly though. I don't want to tell him, so I start by pressing the button that goes to the floor of the hospital wing.

I see his features turn from something on the brink of joy to confusion. He stares at me and I feel his hands on my shoulders again but not shaking me this time. They are clamped onto me instead. I feel his fingers sinking into my skin and I try not to shudder, but I do. He is close to me now. I half expect to smell alcohol on his breath as he begins to breathe heavier. But of course, nothing of the sort happens; there are strict rules on that after all.

Then again, I thought torture was banned here too.

"Haymitch… she's in a bad way" I say. Before I can expand the elevator doors slide open. He looks at me; eyes open wide in shock, before darting out of the elevator. I don't even need to think about it, I follow him instantly at a run. "Haymitch! Wait!" I yell, managing to grab a hold of his arm, "You can't storm in like this, you need to calm down!" I say, struggling to keep my grip on him. He has started to thrash around like a madman, desperate to pull away from me.

"Let go of me Katniss!" He hisses menacingly. I can feel my fingers sliding from his arm; he is beginning to succeed in his mission to free himself from me. Before I can try something else to calm him down the doors open and Gale greets us. Arms folded, looking down on the both of us.

"Keep it down" He whispers, staring at Haymitch more than me, but still shoots a glare my way - probably because I abandoned him without telling him why.

"You don't tell me what to do" Haymitch says, barging past him and straight into the hospital wing. No clever comment on the end of it, he's obviously in a bad way. And yet I follow him, making sure to glare at Gale as I pass him. I can hear Gale muttering something, but I don't care, all I can see is Haymitch frozen in front of me. I step forwards tentatively so I am stood beside him, looking across to him, not knowing what to expect. What I see is his eyes beginning to water up. It's hard to believe that five minutes ago he was on the blink of exploding from excitement.

"I tried to tell you Haymitch" I say, watching as a doctor begins to work on a deep cut stretching all the way across her stomach. "She was worse before we got her here…" I add, deciding not to tell him anymore. I don't think telling him about the mangled mix of blood and tears would be a good idea; he looks close to collapsing as it is. His eyes land on it before mine do though; apparently there is no need to hide the amount of blood covering my former escort from him. It seems the sheets on her bed have been changed a couple of times, completely stained with the stuff.

"Is that…" He mumbles, looking at the sheets and then back to Effie, then to me. All I can do is nod; he shudders and takes a chocking deep breath, before walking straight over to the bedside, pulling a chair out and sitting down next to her, taking her hand in his and examining the bandage wrapped around her wrist. Before looking over to see the exact same on her other hand. My mother is walking over to him. I don't know what she saying, whether she was reassuring him or telling him the details of what had happened and the medication she was on. But I see him nodding at what she is saying, hanging on to every word.

I want to go over and comfort him. Tell him I'm sorry for not telling him sooner. But I don't want to intrude. I was all ready for heading over, but when I see a tear sliding down his face, I reconsider, and walk over to my mum. Who was smart enough to leave Haymitch with Effie, and is now stood examining another patient.

"What's going to happen to her?" I ask, I don't need to expand on 'her', my mother knows exactly who I'm on about and shakes her head, making me prepare myself for the worse.

"I don't know exactly. I can't promise she will fully recover, we can only hope that she recovers mentally as well as she will physically" My mother says, before placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it in a comforting manner before walking off to tend to someone else. Gale has his arm around my shoulders now; I don't know how he got beside me so quickly. But he managed it, just like he did during hunting hours.

"She'll get better Katniss" He whispers to me, pulling me into a hug. I'm only too happy to wrap my arms around him.

"What if she doesn't though Gale? We all know how she is, we mocked her enough, she'll never be the same again after this" I say, pulling away slightly so my head isn't in Gale's chest, but looking up at his face. He can't answer me. Instead he leads me to a set of chairs and we sit down. I try not to, but I can't help but look over to Haymitch and Effie and I feel my heart pound harder and tears threaten to fall when I catch his fingers delicately stroking a loose strand of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear. I think if she was conscious, Effie would have liked this gesture. But her eyes are shut. She can't tell he is doing this, and if it wasn't for her chest slowly moving up and down, I would have thought the worst.

My eyes have been trained on them for too long. Haymitch turns to face me, and instantly I look down to avoid his gaze. I see him place Effie's hand by her side out of the corner of my eye, and then he is standing up. I hope he isn't, but I think he is heading towards me and Gale. The fact I sense Gale sitting upwards tells me Haymitch is indeed heading this way. So I force myself to look up and face him, ready for harsh words.

"Who did this?" He asks, his voice shaking, eyes trained on mine, "Who Katniss! Who did this to her?" I can't remember ever seeing him like this and it is terrifying.

"Let's find out," is what I tell him, it is all I can say. The nod of confirmation is short, and we both stride out of the medical area, Gale hot on our heels.


	4. Chapter 4

**Guys, all your love in my email was so amazing! I want to thank you guys for reading this story and taking an interest in it once more! My lovely reviewers this time around are the amazing: Gentlefurable, MissEffieTrinket, Savysnape7, Tonksremus2332, McMuffin, Tom without a Turkey, Scyfy girl and District11tribute. Onto the story! Enjoy!**

Haymitch, Gale and I are all stood in the elevator; the silence between us speaks louder than any words could. We are all waiting, all worried and most importantly, all scared. I look across at Haymitch first; he is leaning against the wall, the skin around his eyes is light red. His hair is sticking up at all angles. This time, I turn away before he can catch me looking at him. My eyes land on Gale now and he looks across at me. He shrugs to me ever so slightly and is staring me in the eye. I hold my own and stare back, just as the elevator doors slide open.

For someone who had been so subdued moments ago, Haymitch is the first out of the elevator, taking off like a rocket down the corridor. I follow him without looking behind me to check if Gale is following. I know he is. But I can't focus on him when Haymitch is thrusting every door open in the search for something, or someone. He's like a man possessed.

"Where is she?" He growls after opening the seventh door, allowing it to slam shut behind him, turning to try another. I don't know who 'she' is (Despite the fact it was my idea to go on this search), but apparently Gale does and he taps Haymitch's shoulder and points up the corridor. Haymitch nods to him and walks in the given direction, I understand nothing about the exchange but follow nonetheless.

"President" Gale says with a curt nod. Haymitch and I just stare at her though. No nods, no nothing. She acknowledges Gale with a nod of her own, before looking at us. Haymitch manages to hold her glare, but I falter and look to her side. My eyes land on a familiar man behind her. Gale's hand is on my shoulder, gripping to it slightly, its only when the man grins at me I realise who it is. The person behind Coin is the person who I caught torturing Effie.

Anger flares up inside of me again but I know I can't do anything, especially in front of Coin. I'm on thin ice already; instead I step closer to Gale. I think I hear him let out a sigh of relief. I can't be too sure though, the air is now full of Haymitch's voice. I can tell he is trying to control his anger, mostly because his hands are clenched into fists and he is shaking. Coin on the other hand remains cool and nonchalant as always.

"Solider Abernathy, I think you should calm down," Coin says, not shouting, but still loud. It doesn't work. Instead Haymitch becomes angrier.

"I'll calm down when you tell me why my friend was chained up and tortured in one of your little cells!" Haymitch yells. Even Coin looks a little taken aback at this. I think it's mostly because Haymitch is pointing straight at her, his hand having sprung up from nowhere. It is silent for a second and then Coin leads us into another room so we can _'discuss this matter in private'._

The door swings shut behind us and Haymitch stares straight at Coin, waiting for an answer. But Coin isn't looking at him; she's looking directly at me. Her cold, grey eyes are focused on me, making me feel uneasy. I can't help but allow my hands to rub together so I have something better to do than feel like a piece of prey under her nose, "Solider Everdeen" She says once Haymitch has kicked a chair, "According to my friend, you were the one who came to Miss Trinket's help, maybe you can inform Haymitch on what you saw," She says, and it makes me hate her even more. Making me be the one to tell Haymitch about the state Effie was in upon first been discovered. Haymitch stops pacing around when this is said, and looks straight at me instead. Actually all eyes are on me. With a sigh I lean against a table and begin to search for the correct words. There's no getting out of this.

"I'd just found my prep team, they'd been tied up too," I say, looking at Coin, not Haymitch, when I say this. She is sat down now, her fingers interlocked. I think I can sense a smirk on her lips, so I turn to Haymitch instead. Regretting it immediately because when I say "I heard her screaming first, but I couldn't find her," he lets out a chocking gasp and has to sit down to seek support. This unexpected action makes me take a deep breath; I never expected Haymitch to react like this. Gale is next to me now, trying to help me go on. I know I have to, for Haymitch.

"It was Plutarch who got to her first, I don't know how, but he stepped into the room before any of us could ask," I say, Gale is nodding to confirm this, but I don't look at him. I keep my eyes trained on Haymitch. His own are staring at the floor. Hunched over, wringing his hands, I don't remember the last time he was like this. "Then I managed to push myself into the room, I didn't recognise her at first," I add, deciding not to mention just how bad the blood was. But he probably has guessed correctly how much had covered her due to the sheets in the hospital, "I asked her who she was, she looked like a merchant's kid, maybe a rebel who had escaped from another district or something… I don't know… then Gale untied her and we saw it was Effie," I say. Rushing through the last seconds of my explanation to get it over and done with, relief greeting me once I have done.

"Why…" Is all Haymitch says, "Why was she tied up?" Looking at me and finally taking his eyes off the floor.

"Ask him," I say, pointing at the man behind Coin. I don't think he, or the president, was expecting this. I don't think they expected Haymitch to sober up completely either. He is no longer shaking and begging for answers. He is angry, furious even, and he is now glaring up to the man my finger is trained on.

"What do you mean ask _him_?" Haymitch asks, not taking his eyes away from the man, who has finally wiped the smirk from his face. It's a good feeling, watching him squirm under Haymitch's icy glare.

"He was the one who did it, you know, Coin's friend…" I say, looking at Coin when I say this. I'll probably pay for this later. But right now, it's worth it just for taking the arrogant look of dominance off her face.

"He did this?"

I nod, I feel Gale tensing next to me. The room goes quiet for a moment. Then the man is on the floor, rolling around groaning and clutching his jaw. Haymitch goes to punch the man again, but Gale grabs him around his middle and hauls him back. Haymitch still manages to get a good kick on target despite been pulled back. Making the man roll into an even smaller, pathetic ball.

"Get off me boy!" Haymitch grunts, attempting to escape from Gale's tight hold, "You let me go!" He yells, thrashing around.

"No, you'll just get into trouble Haymitch!" Gale yells over Haymitch's protests.

"I don't care, he hurt her! He tortured her! He needs a taste of his own medicine!" Haymitch shouts, lunging for him again. The man winces, awaiting attack. But I rush over to help Gale restrain Haymitch.

"Cut it out Haymitch! You aren't helping Effie by doing this!" I yell. He freezes at this. Panting heavily, teeth clenched, still shaking. But no longer going for the man. Finally, Coin stands up.

"Solider Everdeen is correct, you aren't doing your little… _friend_, any favours by throwing your weight around," Coin says, and I hate the way she lingers on the word friend. It's obvious she is indifferent to the way Effie has been treated; she doesn't care about her at all. She should have kept her safe. But she didn't. I think Haymitch is thinking this too. But he is more vocal in areas like this.

"You haven't been doing her any favours either, locking her up; whipping her… god knows what else…" Haymitch says. Quieter, but with just as much anger laced in his tone as there was when he was yelling.

"Solider Hawthorne, take Solider Goldercrest to the hospital wing," Coin says after a few moments, allowing Haymitch's words to sink in. "Solider Abernathy, Soldier Everdeen and I need to have a couple of words," she adds. Gale shoots me a look, a warning not to get myself into too much trouble. Then he is pulling the man up of the floor and is pushing him out of the room. Ignoring the protests that come from his mouth and shutting the door with a snap behind him.

"Well…?" Haymitch asks, looking at Coin for answers to his previous question.

"We had to take Miss Trinket under extreme circumstances Solider Abernathy," Coin says, "We had to get to her before the Capitol did-"

"That doesn't mean you had to tie her up and beat her!" Haymitch yells, cutting Coin off.

"We thought she was on their side, we did what anyone else would do!" Coin yells even louder, "Soldier Abernathy, I don't think you appreciate the circumstances we operated under to get Miss Trinket out of the Capitol. They were closing in on her; we ran the risk of getting caught. We could have put this whole operation in jeopardy! And for what, some Capitol girl we see running around so you were on schedule? We had no time to interrogate her. Yes we tied her up, but she wouldn't give us answers, we had to lay down the law!" Coin tells us. Her reasoning behind Effie's treatment is sickening, but I daren't question it. I've never seen Coin or Haymitch like this before.

"She's more than some Capitol girl running around keeping a schedule!" Haymitch says roughly, "She didn't give you answers because she was traumatized! You took her from everything she knew, and then tried to beat answers out of her; she was probably scared of you hurting her again because she said something wrong!" Haymitch says, "I saw her just before the arena went, she was petrified. She told me she was on our side; you never asked me though did you?" He asks "You should have asked me! No, I should have brought her here myself, then maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation now!" He says "And maybe Effie wouldn't be lying on a bed unconscious!"

"Haymitch, it's not your fault," I whisper. I'd forgotten that Haymitch would have seen Effie before they took me from the arena. That he would have probably warned her. But I didn't know she knew about the rebels. Apparently neither did Coin.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about the plans, about the rebels, you could have put this entire operation at risk," Coin tells us, but Haymitch shakes his head furiously.

"I never told her about the plans, she guessed. Just because she's from the Capitol it doesn't mean she's brainless!" Haymitch says, "I told you, she's more than some schedule keeping Capitol girl. She guessed, she covered for me, she helped me keep this mission going in some ways, even when she didn't know about the rebel plans!" Haymitch says, "I want you to remember that the next time you think it's okay to raise a whip to her!" Haymitch says, he's yelling again now. And with that, he's stormed out of the room, leaving me with Coin.

"Make sure your mentor keeps his temper in line Soldier Everdeen, we wouldn't want beloved Miss Trinket suffering down to it bubbling over now, would we?" Coin says, I nod and leave just as quickly as Haymitch did.

She threatened Effie, if Haymitch steps out of line Effie pays.

I catch up with him just before the doors of the elevator shut, he's pressed the button that leads to the floor of the Hospital wing, "You need to be careful Haymitch," I say, feeling annoyed at the fact I sound like Coin when I say this, "If you do anything wrong, Effie could pay," I tell him. No. Effie will pay.

"It's my fault Katniss, it's my fault she's here," Haymitch says as we begin to move, "If I told her she was been silly about the plans, then she wouldn't be here…" he is telling me, "I couldn't lie to her though, she covered for me when I was meeting up with people to set the plans into action, and now she has been chained up because of itm" Haymitch says. We are silent for the rest of the trip. But when we step out of the lift, heading for the hospital, Haymitch tells me one last thing.

"She wasn't brought here just for information. She was the weapon they could use against me. You remember the way that woman works, won't you sweetheart" Haymitch says, and he is heading towards Effie once more. His words don't leave as fast as him. I understand immediately what he is saying. Coin knows what she is doing; she knows how to get to us… how to make us do what she wants. If Effie was the person she would use against Haymitch, the man who lost everyone he loved after the Quell, how low would she sink to get to me?

My final answer isn't pretty.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again. This took longer to get up than expected; I changed the ending to this like five times. I hope you like it! Before I give you the story, I had lots of lovely reviews from all you lovely readers. Knowing people are reading this and liking this is so rewarding, so thank you! And the fact some of you are taking the time to review means even more…**

**So here are the amazing people who have reviewed: MissEffieTrinket (Thanks so much. And thanks for the tip. I'll try my best to improve on that! I hope you like this) SilensVulpes (I can't say that, mostly because I haven't got that far into writing it, so stay tuned! **_**Shameless self plugging… **_**but thanks so much for the review), Savysnape7 (Here is your Effie actually been in the story chapter. I hope you like it as much as I liked reading your review), DoctorWhoLuver11 (It's soon! Here is your update), Olivia (Don't do anything drastic! Here is your new instalment; hopefully it's enough to keep you going. There is Haymitch and Effie in this, I wouldn't exactly call it fluff yet though…), Hazy Lights (Thanks so much! I hope you like this new chapter!), Flawedprotagonist (I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this would have been a good idea. I hope I do the idea justice for you. And I'll try my best to pick up on what she said. And I hope you still like this after you read this chapter), District11tribute (Hopefully I can get onto the Haymitch and Effie stuff soon, we need to sort things out first, get a full idea of what really happened. I hope you enjoy this), Scyfy girl (Aw, thanks. Enjoy the chapter too!) Illyna (I hope you like this, thanks for the review) and last but by no means least – Lindseylikesyourface (Thanks so much! I hope this is soon enough for you!)**

**And on to chapter five.**

"Katniss, Katniss wake up!"

My eyelids snap open, and after blinking away the darkness, I'm looking up at my younger sister. It's hard to believe she is the same girl I volunteered for. But she is. So mature, so wise for her years. She's still my little duck though. The only person in thirteen who can make me smile. And I do, I feel my lips curling into a smile, confirmed when Prim shoots me one herself. At least that's one thing about her that hasn't changed. Her bright, cheerful smile.

"Why, what's up Prim?" I ask, sitting up immediately at Prim's eager tone. She's come straight from the hospital wing; she's still wearing her uniform. I can tell she's been busy as she looks tired. Maybe I should tell mother to give her a day of. But despite her tired posture, she looks happy. Just after I think this she breaks out into a bigger grin than before.

"Your friend, Effie, she's woken up!" Prim exclaims. This makes me get out of bed. It has been two weeks since we discovered Effie. Whilst she has been healing, or so my mother says, she has barely shown any sign of life. This is a good improvement to say the least. A very good one if the excitement on Prim's face is anything to go by.

We set of for the hospital immediately. Not once do me or Prim let go of the others hand. As we near the hospital, the excitement of Effie finally waking up starts to leave me. Instead I feel nervous. We still don't know how she will be affected mentally by this. After all she had been locked up for over a month; she won't be the Effie Trinket I left behind before the third Quarter Quell. I'm scared of meeting the new Effie Trinket.

Prim is practically leading me now; my legs follow the direction she is taking. The rest of me as gone numb. Scared of what I will find. I don't even notice that we are stood in the entrance to the ward. I find myself looking around, searching across the beds. I shouldn't have bothered. I can't miss Haymitch hunched over a bed. Immediately dread fills me, this sight isn't too reassuring. But I move towards him, as I get closer, I hear him talking. When I get there I see that he is talking to her back. She has turned away to shut us out, curled into a small ball.

"How is she?" I ask. Haymitch glares at me; it's obvious she is in a bad way. I sit down on a corner of the bed. Prim as scuttled of somewhere, leaving me and Haymitch alone with a terrified Effie. He is sat closer to her. Whilst I am perched on a corner, he is sat on a good portion of the bed; his hand rests on the sheets that cover her waist. It seems she is ignoring this contact though.

"Effie, hey, it's Katniss, you remember Katniss right?" Haymitch asks in a soft voice I didn't know he could master. Why wouldn't she remember me? After all, it's probably my fault that she's here in the first place. Even if Haymitch is convinced it is his.

"Hello Effie" I say, softly like Haymitch. "We've missed you, all of us, especially Haymitch" I say, and to his credit, Haymitch confirms this to her. I'd have thought he was messing about with her a couple of months ago, but the fact he is close to tears tells me that Haymitch, out of all of us, is the person who missed Effie the most. He probably still does, she isn't the Effie we first met.

"Yeah, come on sweetheart, you've missed us too right?" Haymitch says, practically a whisper. It takes a while, but a mop on blonde hair on the pillow begins to move up and down. Confirming she did indeed miss us. "Especially me, right princess?" He says, eye's glinting with something more lively now she has actually acknowledged us.

I shake my head at Haymitch, but a noise comes out of Effie's mouth. I think it's a cross between a sob and a laugh, and this makes me and Haymitch go forward. Trying to coax words out of her. To no avail though. Effie remains shut off from us, not once turning to face us. About an hour into proceedings, in which we have tried to make her talk, laugh, scowl and shout at Haymitch, Prim turns up with a glass of water in hand.

She carefully places it besides Effie, trying not to look at her, give her some privacy. She betrays herself though, and ends up shooting a glance at her. Effie wasn't expecting this, and isn't quick enough to look away. None of us know what to say about this.

"You're very pretty" Prim whispers to her. I look across to Haymitch, his mouth is open in shock, he doesn't know what to say to this. We don't know how Effie will react. If she will just shove her face in the pillow and block us out once again. "You should take a drink of this" Prim says when the silence threatens to overpower the moment, and hands Effie the glass.

We have all frozen to our spots; we don't know what will happen next. But ever so slowly, a hand reaches out to the glass and Effie is grasping it. Yes, the fact she has been weakened considerably means it is shaking like crazy, but it is more than we could have asked for. A small, but genuine 'thank you' escapes from Effie's lips. It is barely audible. I doubt anyone else heard apart from the three of us, sat on her bed. She takes a small sip, then another. Once she is done, Prim takes the glass from her and looks up at me and Haymitch. I think the man sat next to me could jump across the bed right now and hug her.

"Go on Haymitch" I say quietly, pushing him forward a little. Telling him to say something to her now she has acknowledged us. He doesn't know what to do. His hand is still on the material covering her waist; his eyes are still threatening to let tears fall. Slowly though, ever so slowly, he leans forwards. I have no idea what he is planning to do; I hope it is nothing stupid. His forehead is resting on her shoulder now. Prim and I remain motionless. Not daring to move in case anything happens.

"The girl's right you know, you are very pretty. Why don't you turn around so we can get a look at you sweetheart?" Haymitch says. I never knew he could act as sweet as this. Never knew he had it in him, especially towards Effie. The two were constantly locked in some childish battle; it reminded me of the younger kids at school who had a disagreement, the names they shot at each other as pathetic and silly as the last. I don't know why he didn't act like this around her before, like he really cares about her. No, not like, he does care about her. There's a big difference.

Her movement is delayed, but ever so slowly, she begins to turn around. I jump of the bed as her body shifts into a different position; Haymitch remains were he is. Apart from his head moving upwards of her shoulder so she can manage the turn. It's weird looking at Effie minus the Capitols fashions plastered on her. Weird in a better way though. She looks so normal, she looks beautiful in fact.

Without her wig, her blonde hair falls just below her shoulders. Without the make up her skin is a pale, peachy colour. Without the built up clothes, even under the hospital bed sheets you can tell she has a skinny frame. I look down at her hand, the one Haymitch is holding tight. Apparently Effie and I have something in common; it looks as if she bites her nails too.

"That's better" Haymitch says, brushing a strand of lose hair behind Effie's ear. It's when he does this simple act of kindness that I see Effie as a deep cut that has been stitched up by the careful hands of the doctors, running down her cheek. I don't know how I didn't notice this before, but now I have, I feel sick. How could anyone do this to a person? Especially when that person is as harmless and gullible as Effie.

Haymitch sees the cut when I do. I can tell that this shocks him just as much as it did me. But he ignores it; instead he strokes the untouched skin next to the cut. It seems to calm Effie's shaking body, I can't begin to describe how grateful I am that she has appeared to calm down a little. I don't know what possesses me to do this, but I take Effie's other hand in my own. Trying hard not to look at the scars covering it. I don't know if she notices this or not, her eyes are locked onto the floor. Staring straight past me and Haymitch, it's like she is empty.

"Do you want another drink, any food?" Haymitch asks her. She shakes her head, still staring at the floor. Haymitch shoots me a look that I can only reply to with a shrug. Neither of us knows what to do. "What do you want sweetheart?" He asks her after moments of silence. She doesn't reply her eyes fixed on the floor still. We can only sit here, we can't do anything. We have to sit here until she talks. We can't leave her like this.

"I want it to stop hurting…"

The shock of hearing Effie again makes me sit up. It has been at least ten minutes since Haymitch asked her the question. Fifteen maybe. Her voice is all cracked, so quiet. It seems like she can't manage to talk in anything louder than a whisper. You can barely pick up on her Capitol accent anymore. She sounds like a small, harmless little girl. And the fact her answer is something neither Haymitch nor I can do for her makes everything even worse.

"It hurts so much Haymitch" She says, sounding so broken and harmless. It is then she looks up for the first time, staring Haymitch straight in the eye. Haymitch who is on the verge of tears. I think I hear sniffling, and I look over to see the noises are coming from Prim. I beckon to her, and soon she as run to my side, her head resting on my shoulder.

"I know sweetheart. But it'll get better" Haymitch says to her, running his hand down the side of her face softly. But I can't help but think he is lying to her. Does it really get better? I honestly don't think it does, but if it makes Effie feel better, then I can cope with her thinking that. "I'll make sure he does" He says in the same quiet tone as Effie has been using. "I owe you that much…" He adds.

"Effie… I- I'm so sorry" He says when all she does is look at him. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry" He says, breaking down and crying. I'm surprised he hasn't done this sooner, he's been holding so many emotions in for so long. But I'm also shocked; none of this is Haymitch's fault. I realise whose fault it is as soon and Effie is shaking her head in response to him saying this. No, this isn't Haymitch's fault.

It's mine…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six already? I didn't expect anyone to read this, but oh my god! I never expected to get this much interest. I must admit, I do smile when my iPod explodes with messages. So, thank you to the guys who made my iPod blow up – Gentlefurable (I wish I could hug her too, here, have some more Haymitch and Effie), TheAllySue (Thanks so much, enjoy this next chapter), MissEffieTrinket (Yes we are! And thanks. I hope this update didn't take too long), SilensFlos (*Hands a tissue* enjoy this new chapter), District11tribute (Oh wow, thanks so much! And I'm glad you like Prim, I'll try and put a bit more of her in the story), Savysnape7 (Guys… I'm running out of tissues. I don't mean to upset you every update! *Hands tissue anyway* Thanks for the lovely review), Scyfy girl (Wow, thanks for the compliment. Could you tell my English teacher for me? I hope you like this!), McMuffin (Thanks so much, I'd give you a tissue too, but I haven't got any left. Enjoy chapter six), flawedprotagonist (Thanks a lot! And thanks, I was originally going to have it be Haymitch, but the idea of Prim popped into my head and wouldn't disappear), lindseylikesyourface (Well, you said please… so here's the next chapter), illyna (Thanks, I hope you like there interaction in this too), DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11 (Here is another emotion involved chapter, there will be more to follow. Thanks for the review!), Chris (Thanks so much, I'm glad you like how I've written them!)**

**So, let's continue on with the story.**

I honestly can't believe that Haymitch thinks the blame lands on his shoulders. After all, it isn't him who started this rebellion. The rebellion that led to Effie been locked up and left vulnerable to inhuman brutality. Inhuman yes, but ever so common. It sickens me to think Effie is one of thousands submitted to this. It sickens me even more to think that the man who did this to her will get away with it. I can only hope Haymitch stumbles across him another time.

"I'm sorry Effie, I'm so sorry" Haymitch is saying. Repeating the apology over and over again. It's unneeded, well, unneeded from his mouth anyway.

"W-what for?" Effie asks, sounding even more vulnerable than the last time. She sounds even younger than Prim too. It's scary, how much she has changed. She is no longer the confidant woman from the Capitol. Instead she is a shivering wreak.

"This" Is all Haymitch tells her. It makes Effie's eyes widen, her mouth starts to twitch. I think she is going to start crying. It's this that makes me finally speak up.

"It's not your fault Haymitch. It's mine"

It's the first time since he's been sat by her side that he tears his gaze away from her. His eyes are focused entirely on me. Demanding to know more. Effie is slower in turning to face me, but she manages to look at me. Thankfully I keep my gaze on Haymitch. I don't think I could manage looking at Effie, I feel guilty enough as it is.

"What are you talking about girl?" Haymitch asks me. I think if his hands weren't around Effie's they would be clenched tight. Instead his eyes have taken on a harder, icy state. Not the affectionate, maybe loving, appearance they take on when talking to Effie.

"You know its true Haymitch" Is all I say. I think Effie is shaking her head in protest but I ignore her. "If I hadn't destroyed the arena-"

"Then we would have gotten you out of there anyway" Haymitch says, cutting me of.

"You would have also had more time to get Effie to safety!" I reply, taking him aback slightly.

"That's a lie Katniss" Is the first sentence to break the silence after my outburst. It doesn't come from Haymitch, but from Effie. Her eyes are still wide, unblinking. But for the first time I see a glint of something in them, something that tells me she isn't empty. That somewhere she is still there. Damaged, broken, but still there.

"It's not Effie. I'm sorry, but it's not" I tell her, trying to ignore the growing pain around my waist. Prim is hugging me, her grip gradually getting tighter.

"Katniss, Effie's right" Haymitch tells me, in a finalising matter. He won't hear any argument against this statement. I'm annoyed at him for not agreeing with me. As far as I'm concerned, it is entirely my fault. After all, it appears that all I can do is cause trouble. But there is something else I feel, something alongside my annoyance at Haymitch.

Guilt. And it is growing every time I feel Effie's eyes land on me. I don't know what to say. Neither does Haymitch or Effie. Prim, even if she did know, wouldn't speak up at all. The silence is growing, and yet it feels welcome. But this is broken when Gale walks into the room. He looks at each of us in turn, before dragging a chair over to the side of the bed.

"Hello Effie" He says with a smile. They have never met, but the smile on his face would convince anyone otherwise. I think he is putting an effort in to appear warm towards her. Ever since we went hunting in the woods, he has been more accommodating to my prep-team, and it seems that he is putting extra effort in with Effie. Maybe it's because I yelled at him about not understanding why I cared about her wellbeing. Maybe it's because he wants to keep on Haymitch's good side. But either way, I'm grateful for the way he is acting. "Do you feel any better?" He asks. I've changed my mind about been grateful. I could kick him for asking such a stupid question, but I manage to restrain myself. Instead I glare at him.

"A little" Effie says in something I wouldn't even call a whisper.

"That's good" Gale says, and I think he is genuinely melting a little at how intimidated she sounds.

"Yes it is" A voice behind Gale says. Unlike mine, Haymitch's or Gale's tone, this one is steely. Unaffected by the sight of Effie. I look up to see who it is, and totally horrified to see it is President Coin. Arms crossed, smile playing on her lips cruelly. She doesn't care about Effie; she didn't care about her suffering. She shouldn't be here. None of us want her here.

We all react differently to this unwelcome arrival. Prim tightens her grip around my waist; I'm close to losing blood flow due to the tightness of her arms around me. Her head, which was on my shoulder before, remains unmoved though. I know I can't look away from Coin, so like my younger sister I don't. I do catch Effie moving away slightly, her head sinking into the pillow. I think her hands are shaking too, but Haymitch's are covering them so it is hard to tell. Speaking of Haymitch, whilst Effie as tried to hide herself, he as sat up as straight as possible. Staring at Coin like I would a deer in the woods that I'm about to send an arrow at. It's like he is acting like a shield between Effie and Coin. He looks more impressive doing this act than I have ever seen him before.

"How can we help you president?" Gale asks, the only one of us who hasn't been shocked by her appearance. I wonder if he knew she would be visiting, so decided it would look good to show up. I hope this isn't his motive behind visiting, but I can't help but think it is.

"Just checking up on our patient" She says "Just making sure there's no _lasting damage_"

Well, she'll be disappointed. I know for a fact there will be lasting damage on Effie. The scars may fade overtime, but the nightmares will always be with her. After the games, I tried to forget, but that didn't work. So I know that Effie can try all she wants to forget, but you can't keep your shields up during the night. Haymitch must be thinking this too, he suffers from the nightmares as well. You can't escape it, ever. The way Coin says the last two words of the sentence makes me think that she isn't here to check up on Effie at all. But because she finds it appealing to see her suffer.

"She's resting at the moment" Haymitch says, ensuring Effie doesn't need to reply to Coin. Good, I don't want Effie to have to speak to her. "She can talk to you later"

Later… she shouldn't have to talk to her at all. Coin's slightly visible smile disappears, and she gives us a nod before leaving. It is only when we can no longer hear her footsteps that we dare to move. We all let out a sigh of relief at the same time, and finally Prim releases her grip on me.

"Why does she want to talk to me Haymitch?" Effie asks. It's the question I want answered too.

"I don't know, but it'll be okay" He tells her. Lying to her. Of course he knows, he's Haymitch. Even if he hasn't been told he'll know what's happening. "Katniss, can I have a word in private?" He says next. I nod and stand up. Walking outside without looking behind me to check he is following, he will. And he does, but not before he has run his hand along the side of Effie's face, stopping at her chin, telling her something I can't hear.

"Well?" He asks when he finally joins me outside.

"I don't know, you're the one who wanted to talk" I tell him.

"What do you want to know? I know you Katniss, and you know me. So come on, what do you want me to tell you?" He asks.

"Why did you lie to Effie?" I ask him, "Why didn't you tell her why Coin wants to talk to her?"

"I would hardly call that a lie" Is all he says. This manages to frustrate me, not give me an answer to my question. "Why do you think I didn't tell her?" He asks me.

"To protect her" Is the answer I arrive at. He nods at me, in a slightly mocking manner.

"Well done Katniss" He says, his fake tone of voice frustrates me further. "Why do you think I want to protect her?"

"Why don't you just tell me straight instead of playing this stupid game?" I ask. He didn't expect that at all. But he answers, his tone no longer mocking. It is serious.

"Coin isn't happy; she didn't want us to find Effie. I'm certain of it. But we did, so she can't have her lying around until we finally get our hands on Snow can she?" Haymitch tells me. The fact he is saying it so quickly, so quietly, gives me the impression he thinks we are been watched. We probably are.

"What is she going to do then?" I ask, not too sure if I want the answer.

"Well, she isn't going to let Effie get of lightly" He tells me, placing his hand on my shoulder and squeezing it for a second. "We have to protect her Katniss, I'm certain this isn't going to end soon" He says. I have no idea what _this_ is, but I nod. Of course we will protect Effie; it was practically an unspoken agreement before we had this conversation. He is right though, Coin isn't happy that her plan to use Effie against Haymitch as failed.

Or has it? Is this what she wanted? After all, if Haymitch is around to see Effie suffer, it will still have the desired effect on him. Coin knows what she is doing, and she won't let us get away with what we have done to this sick plan to use Effie as a weapon. I think Haymitch is thinking along the same lines as me, we usually are.

"Remember Katniss, Effie isn't the enemy in all this. I think your friend will need to be reminded of this fact too" He tells me, before walking back to Effie. I knew this already, does he think over time I'll revert back to my old way of thinking? I mean, I never thought she was the enemy, but I didn't exactly enjoy putting up with her either. He's right about Gale though, I know that I will need to tell him what Haymitch as told me.

I join the group once more, Gale looks at me curiously but I shake it off. He can be informed later, or when it is necessary. "Do you want anything Effie? We can get you a bite to eat or something" I ask her, putting the best smile I can summon on my face.

"No thanks…" Effie replies, "I'm just tired"

"Go to sleep then sweetheart, we'll still be here when you wake up" Haymitch tells her. She nods, and in about five minutes she is in slumber. None of us leave. We all stick to Haymitch's promise. And we will be there when she awakes. Because for now, the rebellion is at the back of our minds, all we are worried about is Effie's safety. I can only hope that previous events don't replay in her mind whilst she is peacefully asleep. No one deserves to have nightmares. And the ones Effie will suffer from will only make her state even worse. She'll need us when she wakes up, because sleeping doesn't stay peaceful for too long.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! I cannot begin to thank you for the interest you have all shown in this story. It makes me really happy and restores belief in me that I can actually write something. So a big, big, big thank you to you all. Especially my lovely reviewers. xx .side xx (Seriously? It is? Wow, that means a lot, thanks so much), PriscilaOrglene (So do I. But she isn't in this chapter so yay!), Goodbye Kitty (I know, I suck at that. I hope its better with the next updates), Gentlefurable (I never liked her either. And I love your thoughts on Haymitch. It should be his tagline or something. Thanks!), Lonelygoatherd (Thanks. And he can't act like this forever, but for now, he is a little out of character yes. It's how I imagined him to be before he got reaped and had a family. And good question, I do see her as Elizabeth Banks yes, probably just a smaller, less glamorous version of her), illyna (Thank you, I hope you enjoy this!), McMuffin (It seems everyone does. Thanks so much for the review), Savysnape7 (Wow is the only thing I can say to your review, I was smiling when I first read it. Thanks so much. And feel free to punch Coin in the face if you want), MissEffieTrinket (I hope you like this, and I hope it is up soon enough for you! Thanks for the review!), District11tribute (Well, that will be popping up again throughout the story, and let's say, that may not be the case… Well, seeing as you said please three times, here is your update), Scyfy girl (I'm glad that my story helped you through a boring bus ride. I hope you enjoyed Houston more than you did the drive up there), xXx defying gravity xXx3 (Don't die! I updated see, you get to live. Thanks so much, here is chapter seven) and DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11(Aw, thanks so much. Here is the next update, enjoy it!)**

**And let's commence with the story. I hope you like the 'new' character that's in it!**

I was right about Effie needing us when she woke up. She managed to sleep in peace for half an hour before she began to toss around in the bed. She awoke with a scream and me, Prim and Gale left Haymitch to comfort her in private. It has been a week since this event occurred – I think the dreams are getting progressively worse.

But these dreams are doing something I never expected them to do. I expected her to try and hide from them, but instead they are having the opposite effect. It's igniting a fire inside her, and whilst the old Effie Trinket is still gone, and the new one no were close to been mended. At least she is trying to cope. Haymitch told me that after one particularly bad night she was up out of her assigned hospital bed, trying to walk around. My mum strictly forbids her to do this, due to her still been incredibly weak. But Effie was adamant she could do it. And she was up walking around in a circle. Yes, Haymitch had to carry her back to bed when she collapsed in a heap due to exhaustion. But it was a sign there is something left of her we could save.

And while she was so tired she slept for three hours before the nightmares started again, we immediately began to come up with other ideas to get Effie up and about. Simple things, like getting her own water and not having Prim fetch it. Or going across to where Finnick resides and talking to him. Finnick was all for this, I think he wants more company. Haymitch told me that when he disappeared to get her some food, he came back to the two of them talking away. Well, Finnick claims he was doing most of the talking, and she was mostly nodding. But it is an improvement.

Then Gale suggests taking her down to the eating hall with us. Even Finnick who is sat two beds down from us yells up at how stupid an idea it is, which stirs Effie from her fitful sleep.

"What's a stupid idea?" She mumbles, still in her whispering, wavering voice.

"Making you get out of bed!" Finnick yells over to us. He is playing with his rope again, tying it, untying it, repeating it over and over. It as a slightly hypnotising effect on Effie, who zones out to watch his fingers work around the rope.

"Maybe in a couple of weeks we could try it" I suggest, I know Effie is desperate to get away from the hospital. Even though, I think Haymitch doesn't think it's a good idea. I know he is still worried about Coin.

"Just give her a wheelchair and she'll be fine" Gale says, looking me straight in the eye. I shake my head at him slowly and he shrugs.

"She doesn't want to go in a wheelchair" I say to Gale, "Finnick! Would you want to go down to dinner in a wheelchair?" I yell over to him, expecting back up.

"As long as the food is good" He shrugs, pausing for the slightest moment to answer us before going back to tying and untying his rope.

"Thanks Finnick…" I mutter angrily under my breath. It's annoying enough Gale is laughing at this, but Haymitch can't hide his smirk either. "You sort it out then Haymitch" I say, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. I cast a glance over Gale's shoulder to see Finnick smirking. At least he's enjoying himself.

"Well, do you want to try it?" Haymitch asks her. I feel my mouth drop. He can't seriously want to wheel her down to the cafeteria. This can't be the same Haymitch Abernathy.

"Try what?" Effie mumbles, looking up at Haymitch and away from Finnick's rope tying skills.

"Rolling down to eat some rubbish food" I mutter. Haymitch glares at me, before turning back to Effie.

"I think Katniss means 'do you want to go and get some food?'" Haymitch asks her, rephrasing my sentence. "But you'd have to go in a wheelchair" He adds quickly.

There's a long pause after this. Effie as began to pull at the covers lying across her stomach. Replicating the movement of Finnick's fingers with the rope slightly. None of us say anything; we have to wait for Effie to choose if she wants to go. A simple yes or no answer. She seems determined not to look at any of us whilst she is conjuring up an answer for us. And when she finally does, it's the one I didn't want to hear.

"Yes" She says. Still close to been a whisper, but we all hear it.

"Are you sure?" Haymitch asks her, looking straight into her eyes. Like he is searching for the answer and not waiting to hear it from her. She simply nods to him, and it is enough. He stands up and heads over to my mum, possibly trying to convince her to the idea.

"Well, let's make a trip of it" Finnick says, sitting up and getting out of his bed. He walks over to us, still not the strong Finnick I used to know. But at least he has got his sense of humour back. Soon he is sat on the bed and flicking the rope up at Prim who finds this amusing. Scrunching her nose up whenever it goes near her and laughing.

Haymitch comes back to us, and gives Effie a nod to confirm she can go down to eat with us. This brings out the smallest of smiles from her, and Finnick is only too happy to help her into the wheelchair.

"You're not joining us are you pretty boy?" Haymitch asks Finnick.

"You love me really Haymitch" Finnick says with a wink, before been the first of us to exit the hospital wing. Prim giggles and runs after him. Me and Gale both hang back. I've decided I'll walk down alongside Haymitch, and I think Gale is just going to follow me. I don't know exactly, but he isn't moving from his spot.

Then Haymitch nearly runs the wheelchair over his foot and Gale jumps backwards. I know I shouldn't but I burst out laughing, and Haymitch looks pretty pleased with himself too. Effie as the ghost of a smile playing on her lips too as Haymitch begins to wheel her out of the room. I turn to a shocked Gale and manage to stop laughing. Only to start again at the expression on his face.

"At least it didn't flatten your foot" I tell him, following Haymitch's lead. I hear Gale grumble about something behind me, and then run after me to catch me up. We walk down in silence for the rest of the trip. As we near the eating hall, we hear Prim laughing. I can't help but wonder about what Finnick must be doing. All I know is that he is good at hiding his true emotions.

I am pondering how he is so good at this, and too busy doing this to notice Haymitch has come to a halt. I nearly walk into him. Earning a glare from him. I don't know why, it was his fault he stopped in the middle of the corridor. He has turned away from me now before I can question him over this, and is talking to Effie.

"I can't do this Haymitch… can we go back? Please…" Effie is saying, on the verge of tears. It's quite a distressing sight. Finnick walks round the corner followed by Prim, and when he sees Effie he picks Prim up and takes her away. I am grateful for this, not only do I not want Prim to see this, but I don't want a crowd of people around a distressed Effie.

"You were determined to do this a minute ago Effie, what's changed?" Haymitch asks her, bending down a little so he is no longer towering over her. Well, not as much anyway.

"I can't… just take me back…" Effie is saying. She is staring to tremble now, her hands shaking like they were back in her cell all those weeks ago.

"You can Effie" I say, walking closer to her, bending down so I am the same height as Haymitch. She is shaking her head at me, body still shaking.

"I can't… Katniss, I can't. I'm not strong like you" She says to me. The first tears are falling down her face now, bouncing of her pale cheeks and onto her lap.

"You are strong Effie" It's not Haymitch who says this, and it certainly doesn't come from my mouth. I look up at the only other option. It was Gale who said this. And he is correct; we just need to convince Effie this fact is true. Because she is shaking her head again, looking down into her now tear soaked lap.

"He's right Effie" Haymitch says, "You can deny it all you like, but you are"

"Yeah, if I had been through what you had, I'd still be in that hospital bed" I tell her, standing up and placing my hand on hers. She isn't looking at me. She's not looking at any of us. She is staring into the distance; the tears streaming down her face come silently. It's scary to see her like this. I squeeze her hand a little and her head immediately darts around to me, her eyes are suddenly full of fear for some reason. "Effie, it's going to be fine, we aren't going to leave your side" I say to her.

"Promise?" She asks. Her voice breaks in the middle of the word, and I have to lean in to hear it. I nod to her, and her hand tightens around mine ever so slightly. I smile to her, and nod to a relieved looking Haymitch, who begins to wheel her back towards the eating hall.

"Thank you" I say to Gale, who just nods and smiles at me. I don't know what is going on in Gales mind. I don't know what he is doing. One minute it's like he cares about Effie and her well being, the next he appears indifferent. Thankfully though, whatever mood he is in towards her, he can say the right thing.

Finnick and Prim are laughing about something as we approach. They both fall silent when they see us, but both manage to give Effie a warm smile. "You okay now Effie?" Finnick asks her, she nods to him. Then with wavering arms, pushes herself from her wheelchair. Her movement is wobbly and uncertain, reminding me of Haymitch in his drunken state.

But in his sober state, Haymitch is quick and clever. And manages to put his arm around her before she hits to floor. "Careful" He says to her, lifting a disorientated Effie back up to her normal height. "Let's get you back in the chair" He says, Gale rolls the chair over to them. But Effie refuses to sit.

"I can't go in like that Haymitch" She says, "I can't be wheeled in" She says, looking at me. I know what she's trying to do; she's trying to make me agree to it. Do I though? She should be in the chair, the fact that despite been supported by Haymitch her legs can barely take her tiny weight tells me she isn't strong enough. But I also know why she doesn't want to, she has practically told us.

She doesn't want to appear weak. I don't know, but I'm sure she is worried that the residents of thirteen will judge her if she gets wheeled in to dinner. Maybe she thinks that because she is from the Capitol they already are judging her, which they probably are. Coin, no doubt, will be watching too. Not in person, but she'll have someone watching Effie somewhere. I understand why Effie can't go in the chair, and I find myself nodding.

"If she doesn't want to, she shouldn't have to" I say to them. Haymitch and Gale both give me suspicious looks, but I shrug them off. Effie on the other hand manages a small smile. I find myself smiling back, I don't know why. I feel weird doing it, I probably look it too. But Finnick is saying how we are going to have a good feast and is leading the way, Prim following at a skip behind him.

"Do you need a hand Effie?" I ask.

"Its fine, I've got her" Haymitch says before Effie can answer. I nod, and follow Gale into the dining hall. All I can hope is that no one is too hard on Effie. Unlike my prep team though, she isn't covered in tattoos and her hair isn't dyed every colour possible. She would fit in, if it wasn't for the ugly, brutal scars covering her once untouched skin. Thankfully her hospital wear covers most of them up, but a good handful are on show. It seems we have missed the rush though, and only a few people are sat in the room. It's still a few too much though. I don't want Effie around these people.

"Gale!"

I look around to see who yelled out my best friend's name, and a smile reaches my face once again when I see who it is. Finally someone I can trust to be kind to Effie.

"Come on Effie, let's introduce you to the family" Gale says, heading off towards the table. Reluctantly Haymitch leads Effie over too; I can only hope the people sat there are as accepting to Effie as they were to my prep team. Honestly, I don't know why I'm worried. The warm smiles on their faces reassure me that the dinner I was previously dreading should be fine.

"Does this look edible to you?" Finnick asks, shoving a bowl of light green soup under Effie's nose. The contents almost leaving the bowl.

I can only hope the laughs that erupt from our table have set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe this is the beginning of recovery for Effie, who despite not laughing like the rest of us, is looking happier than I have seen her during thirteen. Which, admittedly wouldn't take much, but it's a nice sight to see.

**So guys, this chapter has been split into two, because it was really long and stuff. I was determined to get this up before I go away for the week. So I hope this satisfies you until the next time I can get to my laptop and continue this story. See you in a week and enjoy this chapter!**

**-Megan**


	8. Chapter 8

**Guys, thank you for giving my inbox lots of love. It was lovely to come back to. I had a good holiday, read all three books again and wrote the complete outline of this story out. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out; I hope over the next chapters you will be pleased too! So, amongst the story, author and favourite alerts, there were some lovely people who once again took the time to review. I say this all the time but thank you for that and I love you all.**

**Gentlefurable, I have so many Finnick feels too. I didn't expect Gale to like her, but after the whipping I thought it was something they could build upon (seeing as it has both happened to them) in future chapters. SilensFlos, I hope this is soon enough! It's been a week, I know. But we came home of holiday a day early because it was freezing, so you are getting this early! Savysnape7, I'm glad you like this. It's good to know people are because it makes you want to write more for them. So on that note, here is more.**

**District11tribute, She's a long way from been better, but I'm enjoying writing her recovery. So there will be more of that in future chapters. Here's the next part! Scyfy girl, I love Finnick in everything. Gale as never been a favourite of mine, but I did like him. I guess in this I could explore his 'softer' side. But he won't always be like this! As for the Peeta question, I am doing it so it sticks to the events of Mockingjay, with Effie thrown into the mix. So yes, keep an eye out for Peeta in the future! Nikki, I am? You're making me blush, thank you. I love writing Finnick's sense of humour onto the page, some people seem to forget he is funny due to all the tragic-ness surrounding him, but it's good to write for him because of all this. DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11, the way this is going, they will be friends yes. So there will be more Finnick in this, which I hope is no bad thing for you readers!**

**, Thank you! I wish I could write happier stuff, but I seem to only be half good at angst filled stuff. I don't know why… but I go to write happy stuff and it turns depressing, I don't know… I hope you like this! Baahbisaggio, Why must I always make people cry? Thank you so much for thinking this is amazing, I try my best! I hope this chapter doesn't mess your emotions up again!**

**Wow. Long A/N, sorry about that. Lets commence with the chapter.**

Despite questioning whether it was edible or not, Finnick wastes no time in picking up a spoon and shovelling down the soup. I haven't even started on my roll of bread and his bowl is half empty. Surely he can't have been fed properly in the hospital.

"Eat up then Effie" He says after another mouthful, "You have to eat it quick otherwise the taste gets stuck in your mouth"

This statement does nothing to help Effie, who is sitting there staring at the lump of bread and bowl of soup like it is going to jump out at her. I can see Gale nod, probably in agreement. It can't be that bad can it? I pick up my spoon and take my first mouthful. Then I take a huge bite from my bread to stop myself from spitting the green soup out.

"It's a lot better if you rip your bread up and dip it in" Hazelle says to Effie, demonstrating the act herself. To Hazelle's credit, she manages not to gag.

"No it isn't!" Posy yells up. Everyone except Effie laughs at this. I think maybe Effie would've laughed, but she had just tried Hazelle's dunking the bread tip out. From the expression on her face I think she wants to throw up.

"Me and Gale can go hunting now. Soon it will be meat soup… not whatever this is" I tell Effie. She's nibbling on the bread now, and after about a second of doing this it drops from her hand and onto the plate. I don't think she'll be going near the soup again.

"We can if you keep to schedule" Gale says. It's a good point. I never have done before, but I promised I would so I could go hunting. I think Greasy Sae will be as happy as me and Gale once we get to the woods. She's starting to run out on soup ingredients to mash together in combinations the cooks in thirteen despise.

"I can keep to schedule perfectly well" I tell Gale. Haymitch makes a noise that I assume shows he is disagreeing with this statement. "Okay, maybe I haven't been following it at all. But I will if it means hunting time. Promise" I say to Gale, who nods and rips a chunk of bread from his roll.

Hazelle, Posy, Vick and Rory leave soon after this exchange. This leaves me, Gale, Finnick, Prim and Haymitch sat at a table waiting for Effie who has barely touched her food to finish. I'm starting to get a little worried about Effie now. In the weeks it has been since we found her she hasn't touched a thing. My mother and her team have been giving her what she needs through tubes in the hospital, and she can't rely on those forever. Haymitch seems to be thinking along the same lines as me once again, because he is trying to convince her that the food isn't actually that bad.

"I'm not hungry" She mumbles, looking down at her hands. Before I can convince her that she should eat the soup, Haymitch has taken her hands between his and is trying to look her in the eye. Effie though, is staring at the floor and occasionally makes a sniffling noise. She never once looks up at Haymitch.

"You need to eat though sweetheart" Haymitch tells her. He lets go of her hands momentarily, and they drop into her lap limply. He picks the bread up and tears a chunk off, "You don't need to eat the soup, but at least have the bread" He says, waving the lump under her nose.

Moments pass before she snivels and caves in. Her hand reaches up and takes the lump from Haymitch and she pops it in her mouth. I could breathe a sigh of relief, but I'll leave that to Haymitch who does this with a small smile.

"That's better" He says to her reassuringly, running his hand up and down her arm whilst she still stares at the floor.

"I don't want any of the soup though" She mumbles as Haymitch hands her another piece.

"I don't blame you" Finnick says before Haymitch can reply.

"You've cleaned your bowl. I'm surprised you didn't lick the last few drops out" I tell him.

"Yes. But I'm regretting it" Finnick says, rubbing his belly for good measure. I roll my eyes at him and take another mouthful, followed swiftly by a bite of bread.

"Whatever" I mumble with the bread still in my mouth.

"Whatever" Finnick says mocking me. Shooting me a quick grin too, probably to show he is only joking around.

"Keep it down you two" Haymitch says, glaring at the both of us. "Do you want a drink or something Effie?" He asks her, his tone a lot calmer than the once he used to talk to me and Finnick in. She shakes her head, making her blonde locks cover her face. She doesn't move them away though; something tells me she hasn't got enough energy to. After all, miniscule lumps of bread can only do so much for you.

"Are you sure? I can get you another glass of water if you like" Prim says, leaning in a little as she talks over the table to Effie.

"No thank you" Effie says weakly. Haymitch nods at Prim though, telling her to go and fetch a glass. My little sister nods and jumps up to deliver. Haymitch turns back to Effie after this and begins to stroke the hair out of her face and places it behind her ear.

"With a face like yours, you don't want all that hair covering it" Haymitch tells her when he has finished and Effie no longer has half her hair strewn across her face. She could do with it though seeing as her face starts to go a shade of pink. But before me, Gale or Finnick can come out with a clever comment (Even though I don't think none of us would); Prim scuttles back in with a cup and places it in front of Effie.

"I tried to find something other than water, but there wasn't anything" Prim tells her. Pushing the cup forwards when Effie makes no attempt to grab it.

"Thank you" Effie says. Pleased with her work, Prim sits down. Effie finally reaches out and takes the glass after what feels like an age. I'm surprised half the glass doesn't slosh down her hand as she lifts it to her mouth. Her hands can't seem to stop shaking. She takes a sip, and Haymitch takes the glass from her and puts it down before the water can fall out over the sides and splash over us.

"Feel any better?" Haymitch asks Effie.

"No… I just feel tired" Effie says without any life in her voice.

"I'll bring the wheelchair back in then" Gale says, standing up and going to fetch the chair.

"Take another sip of water before we go" I say to Effie. I think the only reason she does as I tell her to is because she is too tired to argue against it.

"Here we go" Gale says, rolling the chair over to our table. "Do you need a hand getting in or…"

"I've got her" Haymitch says, jumping up. Effie tries to stand on her own, but falls down immediately. Before she can hit the floor though Haymitch catches her and she lets out a small gasp of shock. His arms wrap themselves around her tiny waist. He is practically carrying her over to the chair seeing as she can't manage the trip herself. "The next time we bring you down, the food will be a lot better, promise" Haymitch says, leaning down and lowering Effie into the chair.

"Yeah, I'll make sure Greasy Sae is well stocked" I add, standing up too and taking both mine and Effie's tray.

Prim jumps up too and places her tray in the clearing area after me. She runs up to walk alongside Effie, taking her hand in hers. "And if Katniss and Gale don't catch any good food, you can have my bread instead" Prim tells her.

"Of course we will catch good food!" Gale says, rubbing his hand on Prim's head and ruffling her hair up. "But carry on like that and you shan't be having any of it"

"Even if they do catch good food, you can still have my roll of bread if you want it" Prim says. My sister is always the carer. I place my hand on her shoulder and squeeze it ever so slightly. I'm grateful for how she is being around Effie. I know before, and after, the reaping I never really said a good word about my escort. Actually Gale and I would often mock her and her silly Capitol accent. Thankfully though Prim has either forgotten about this or turned a blind eye to it. Whatever it is she is taking care of her. This is why my sister is the one everyone back in District 12 liked, and didn't just put up with like me.

"I'll be fine thanks" Effie says, I think she squeezes Prim's hand a little too. Whatever she does, it makes Prim smile.

"You need that bread to be big and strong!" Finnick says, picking Prim up and spinning her around. He almost drops her because both his arms and legs aren't as strong as they used to be. But Prim still giggles about it.

The rest of the trip to the hospital is in silence. Which is only broken on occasions when Finnick makes Prim giggle once again by tickling her or the squeak of the wheels along the floor. As we get closer I take Prim's hand in mine, resulting in Effie's dropping down from the air and to her side. Gale holds the door open so Haymitch can wheel Effie through. Finnick gets back into bed, pulls the covers up and begins to knot his rope again. You wouldn't have thought he'd just been down to eat lunch.

Haymitch picks Effie up, who seems to notice none of this and is looking down at her lap instead. He doesn't need to use much strength holding her; Effie is like one of the starving, helpless children you saw in the Seam – there's barely anything left of her. So when he pulls her bed covers back, he manages to hold Effie up with one arm.

Lowering her down onto the mattress (Which doesn't even sink when she is placed upon it), Haymitch pulls the covers over her. Tucking her in like my dad used to do to me and Prim. He would tell me stories too, mostly about hunting in the woods. Haymitch doesn't tell her a story though, but he does do something else my dad would do with us. He places a kiss on her forehead; it's so delicate I'd be surprised if Effie felt it. She's still looking of in the distance so doesn't react to it, so I guess I'll never know if she took notice of this affectionate gesture.

"Come on Prim" I say quietly, pulling my sister away from the scene. Feeling the need to give Haymitch and Effie more space. Gale, who hasn't moved from the doorway, nods over at us and leads the way out. But I can't help myself, and as we walk down the corridor towards the elevator, I cast a glance over my shoulder at Haymitch and Effie. And find myself watching him caress her cheek. The one cut by what I assume was a whip. But his touch looks so soft I don't think it will do anything to anger the cut. I can't help but be glad Effie as someone who cares about her in thirteen; because as the war goes on I don't think things will get any better for her.

In fact, I'm scared they will get worse.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! And thank you for still showing interest in this. I mean, this is still getting favourites and been put on alert. It's amazing! I also want to give a big love and shout-out to the lovely people who reviewed this:**

**Princesspooka, thank you! Gentlefurable, I don't want things to get worse either. I hate to be a 'downer' here but I'm afraid they probably will. Baahbisaggio, Haymitch will continue to be sweet to Effie in this chapter, but he and Katniss aren't exactly getting along in this update. Scyfy girl, that's good to hear. I hope you enjoy this. Savysnape7, thanks for that. I'm glad you like this, and I hope you like the bit of Haymitch and Effie in this. McMuffin, I'm sorry for making you sad, but I'm glad you like this. I want to put more Katniss and Finnick in this, but that will have to come in later chapters. Same with Finnick and Effie. And about the Katniss POV thing, I do have it planned out, so I hope when it unfolds it will make sense. But all events I've added feature Effie and Katniss been together. And if it was impossible to place Effie in a situation (Like you will see in the beginning of this chapter) I have mentioned it or had the characters talk about it so you have an idea about what I'm talking about.**

**Somethingnotreal, thank you for both points. Characterization is a big thing for me, so I'm glad you hold that view. And I have taken the final note from you and used it in here, so I hope it improves things for you. Thanks for pointing it out! Distrcit11tribute, here you go. It would have been up last night, but I got kicked of my laptop.**

**Finally, I have written my first one-shot (Hayffie of course) and would really appreciate it if you read it, reviewed it and what-not. It is called **_**'Stay with me, don't let me go' **_**and I am looking at doing a few more like it, so I'm not constantly writing gritty, angst-y stuff all the time, if you have any ideas, it would be amazing to hear them!**

"_She just ran off, not a care in the world" _

"_But… it worked out… right?"_

I try not to move as I awaken from my sleep. Since the District 8 bombing, I have been here. In the hospital. Gale had to wheel me up, and I ended up in a bed next to Effie. It's okay during the day, when you can have half a conversation with her and she doesn't zone out. But at night, she tosses and turns and whimpers until Haymitch comes to visit her and wakes her up. Or Finnick walks over to her bed to shake her to safety from the nightmares. She used to scream too, apparently. They gave her medication to stop her from doing so. Other patients were complaining.

"_That's not the point Effie, she could have died"_

"_But… she didn't…"_

Haymitch! And Effie, talking about me. I think it's me anyway; who else in 13 would disregard orders like I did? I open one eye and glance over at them. Effie is sat up in her bed, propped up by a couple of pillows. Haymitch is sat next on the bed, not too far away from her. They are talking in a whisper, but not quiet enough seeing as I can hear them. I turn to look at the clock on the wall, and this movement alerts both Effie and Haymitch. Now they know I'm awake. Haymitch throws something over to me when he sees me. I don't catch it, but it lands on my bed. When I do pick it up I see what it is and gulp. This will not be a pleasant experience.

"It's your earpiece. You know, the one you pulled out" Haymitch says, pushing himself up of Effie's bed and walking over to mine.

"Don't Haymitch" Effie says, quiet yet determined. I wonder what she is telling him not to do, but I'll probably find out. The glint in his eye tells me that he isn't listening to her protests. He pulls out a device I immediately label the head shackle. When he shows it me, I hear a sigh and look across to see Effie shaking her head. It's nice to know she's on my side in this. Whatever _this_ is…

Apparently the head shackle isn't the worst thing Haymitch has brought up to the hospital. A silver chip is in his hand too, and he is warning me that he'll have someone put it in my head. So I'll be listening to his voice twenty-four hours a day. It's enough to give you nightmares.

"I'll keep the earpiece in" I tell him.

"What was that sweetheart?" He asks me. I'm sure he heard me; the small smile on his face backs up my point. I wouldn't call it a smile, more like a smirk.

"I said, I'll keep it in" I tell him, folding my arms and choosing to look up at the ceiling and not his face.

"You sure? I'm fine with either option-"

"Haymitch, just leave it" Effie says, her voice a little stronger than before but still broken. He turns to look at her and nods, standing up and walking back to her. I can't begin to thank Effie for getting him away from me. For supporting me in a way I guess. I take a deep breath and turn to look at the two of them again.

"Are you okay Katniss?" Effie asks me cautiously when she spots my eyes on her. I nod and sit up, feeling slightly ashamed. I mean, I'm been asked if I'm okay by a woman who has been locked up and tortured under all our noses. A woman whose once, bubbly, energetic voice constantly sounds strained and cracked. She looks like she's close to tears every time I see her. And I can't help but wince when my eyes land on the scar running the length of her cheek.

"She's fine Effie. Worry about your recovery, not her's" Haymitch tells her. I agree with him on that point totally. It's the first time in an age I've agreed on him on anything come to think of it. "So get some rest, and I'll be back later sweetheart" He says, squeezing her hand and placing it carefully on the bed before standing up. I'm thinking about how he can make the word 'sweetheart' sound so different when using it to Effie. When he calls it me, it's full of sarcasm and slight malice. With Effie, it's soft and affectionate. Quite the change. He also uses this tone when talking to her, and goes back to his gruff self around the rest of us. At least it shows he cares about her recovery, which is good especially if his suspicions regarding Coin are correct.

I hear my stomach rumble and it makes me sit up, looking for a tray of food to eat from. Seeing as I have been asleep for seven hours, I'd have thought that a tray would be waiting for me. Effie's tray is on the desk next to her, so surely mine should be next to me too…

"Looking for your dinner?" Haymitch asks when he is close to the door.

"Yeah"

"I got hungry, I ate it" He says, walking out of the hospital. I think I hear his laugh from down the corridor.

"Have mine" Effie says, picking up her bowl and holding it out to me. The fact her arm is shaking under the strain of holding the bowl out to me makes a lump in the back of my throat rise.

"You need it more than me Effie" I tell her, trying hard not to look at the hopeless look in her eyes.

"I'm not hungry" She mumbles, still holding it out to me. I lean over and take the bowl before her lack of strength results in her dropping it.

"Come here Effie" I say, moving up so Effie can sit on my bed. When she finally stands up, she shakily makes her way over to me. Perching on the edge of my bed as if she is too scared to come any closer to me. I pick the spoon up from my tray, hoping it isn't the one Haymitch used when he shovelled my stew down, and put it in the bowl. Holding it up once it has a generous amount of stew on it, holding it out to Effie. "Eat it" I tell her.

"Katniss, I'm not-"

"Just this one spoonful, then if you still don't want it, I'll have it" I tell her. Hoping she will cave in and swallow. Then maybe eat the rest. She starts to shake her head at me, but I shove the spoon up in her face. Slowly her hand reaches for the spoon and she takes it, swallows and shoves the spoon back in the bowl. I think she is going to carry on eating. But she doesn't. Before I can pick the bowl up for myself, Finnick has joined us with his tray. When he sits on my bed, both Effie and I move upwards slightly, making him laugh.

"What's this I've heard about you finally leaving this place Eff?" Finnick asks, ripping of a chunk of bread with his teeth.

"What?" I ask him in shock. Effie is nowhere near strong enough to leave. The fact she is shaking now, despite only sitting on my bed, only backs this up.

"Haymitch overheard two doctors talking about it. Apparently Coin thinks I'm ready to leave" Effie tells me. I begin to shake my head. "Katniss, what's wrong?"

"Effie, are you sure you're ready to leave here?" I ask her. She looks down and stares into her lap.

"Well, I want to leave here" She admits, "I mean; I don't think the doctors like me"

"Well, they're stupid then" Finnick says with a mouth full of bread. The comment makes a previously subdued Effie smile a little.

"I'll talk to my mother about it if you want? See if you really are ready, and if you are we can try and get you a room next to mine" I say to her, trying to give her a bit of hope. Whilst she isn't ready, if Coin wants her out I want her close to me. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't need to. The smile on her face is enough for me. I haven't seen her like this since she arrived. And whilst the smile doesn't last long, the small shimmer of something in her eyes reminds me just how genuinely happy Effie was at such a small comment. It's a good feeling to see Effie happy for the slightest of moments.

"Let's watch the promo shall we?" Finnick says, picking the remote on and turning the TV on. "I heard Haymitch talking to you about it, let's see if it's as good as he pretended it was"

I snort at this comment and have to compose myself before I take another spoonful of stew and Effie begins to smile once more. Images flash onto the screen, and I don't bother to pay much attention seeing as I saw it twice in the Command Room. Effie and Finnick however, watch with slight interest, and when the propo finishes, neither of them applaud like earlier, but both turn to look at me.

"How bad was it out there?" Effie stutters out.

"Bad. There was a makeshift hospital for those injured in the first bombing. There were hundreds inside, all dead. But Haymitch probably told you that" I say, placing the half empty bowl of stew to my side.

"He did. He also said you disregarded all orders and ran up onto the roof to shoot at the hovercrafts" Effie says. Her voice is weak, but you can tell she finds this a little amusing.

"Well, I got threatened with having Haymitch in my head all hours, but I won't say I regret it" I say, leaning backwards. "Thanks for telling him to leave me alone by the way"

Before Effie can reply music is blaring up from the TV and I find myself staring at the face of Caesar Flickerman. I know all eyes are on the screen, and I hear all three of us gasp when Peeta is shown. He looks nothing like the boy I saw previously.

"He looks terrible. What have they done to him?" Effie says, her eyes not leaving the screen. Whilst Peeta's deteriorated state is shocking, I can't help but think that compared to Effie he looks practically healthy. Which isn't saying much. You could put a starving child from the seam next to Effie and they would be the picture of health.

But still, I don't want to think about what the Capitol as done to Peeta. I'm scared about the methods used to get him looking so ill in health over the space of a few days. When Finnick turns the TV off I couldn't thank him enough.

"Katniss, we never saw it okay?" He whispers to me, full of determination. I nod my head, trying to keep thoughts of Peeta getting tortured away. But the more I try not to think about them, the worse they become. Trying to get information out of him he doesn't have… "Effie! Effie, we never saw it yeah? We turned the TV of after the propo" Finnick is saying to Effie, who doesn't seem to be able to tear her gaze from the screen despite there been nothing on it.

"Effie!" I yell at her, my cracked voice making her jump. I take a deep breath to hold back the tears and repeat to her what Finnick said. She nods, but I'm convinced she has no idea what is going on. But before I can drill it into her we hear footsteps thudding on the corridor, damage limitation heading for us.

"Carry on eating the stew Katniss, just act normal" Finnick tells me. I follow instruction, and pick the bowl up. Sticking a one tasty, now sickly, spoonful in my mouth. I haven't even swallowed when Plutarch and Fulvia are walking over to us.

"Hello Plutarch, Fulvia" Finnick says with a smile, whilst me and Effie remain silent. "Well done on the propo, we were all impressed"

"Good to hear! Very good" Plutarch is saying. He turns to look at me, and I quickly shove another spoonful of stew into my mouth to avoid questioning. "What about you Miss Trinket, did you like it?"

"I think it… highlighted the cause well…" Effie says. Surpassing both mine, and probably Finnick's, expectations on her answer. This was why she was a good escort back in the Capitol. She may be shutting down again, but not only have her words made both Plutarch and Fulvia happy, she's also managed to avoid suspicion.

"So well we could barely finish it" Finnick adds, "Katniss especially took it hard. Not surprising since she's totally exhausted"

I shove another mouthful of stew in my mouth, not ready to talk to either of them.

"I can't wait to see the next one" Effie says quietly when the silence begins to become a little overpowering.

"Yes, we have a lot of ideas! So watch out for them!" Fulvia says, a lot happier than the last time I saw her. "We'll be on our way; you'd best get some rest Katniss if you're so exhausted"

I nod, the spoon in my mouth without my hands holding it. None of us talk until we have heard the last of their footsteps and the opening and shutting of elevator doors.

"That went better than expected" Finnick says, speaking for all of us. Standing up, he makes his way back to his bed.

"Katniss?" Effie asks me, her voice quieter than usual. This makes me suspect she wants no one to overhear what she is going to say, which isn't really a problem seeing as she can barely be heard when she talks normally.

"What's wrong?" I ask, going to take another spoonful of stew but finding the bowl empty.

"I promise I'm going to get better. To help you fight them" Effie says, her hand reaching over to mine. "I want to help…"

At this, I make a note to not leave the Command Room without getting Effie assigned to a room next to mine. I reach over to her and take her hand in mine. The bandages have been taken of her wrists now, and all that remains is deep, dried scars around them. "You get better Effie, focus on that" I tell her.

"I want to help" She tells me, "I don't just want to-"

"Get better Effie. Then focus on the rebellion. You need to think about you" I say, mirroring Haymitch's words from earlier today. She nods before going back to bed. Hours tick by; my mother comes to check on my wounds. I tell her that I want to talk to Coin about Effie moving next to us, and am I told I'll be allowed tomorrow. Prim comes by too, and goes to say hello to both Effie and Finnick before coming over to me. And when the afternoon turns to night, and other patients are snoring, I can't sleep. I can toss and turn just fine, thinking about Peeta, what he is doing now. Or what people are doing to him now.

It is then I hear the thud of feet. And as silently as possible I turn around to observe the new arrival. As I am beginning to worry about why there is someone here so late at night, I see Haymitch. Well, I see Haymitch's back, hunched over Effie's bed. I thank the dark from shielding me. Glad Haymitch doesn't know I'm watching.

"Effie?" He's whispering to her, "Are you okay?"

I hear sniffling and a short reply that I can't quite make out. Then I hear muffled noises and before I can begin to wonder what is happening, Haymitch is sat on the bed. It doesn't take long for him to be laid down on it. I can't see from here, but I think his arm is wrapped around her.

My eyelids begin to finally droop, but not before I hear him say a final sentence to her.

"_Don't worry, I won't leave you princess"_


	10. Chapter 10

**You all should know I love you all and think you are amazing! Thanks for reading this! Shout out to my lovely reviewers:**

**Gentlefurable, Thank you, I thought up the basic idea after I read Mockingjay for the first time and was devastated at the lack of Effie… as for Coin, I guess you'll all find out her deal when Katniss does! , thank you, as for Effie getting better, I want it to happen too (She's my favourite character, I don't put her through pain for my personal enjoyment) but it may not happen any time soon I'm afraid. Princesspooka, thanks, and I'm glad you like the idea. I hope you enjoy this. SilensFlos, here is your update, enjoy it! Baahbisaggio, STORY. OF. MY. LIFE. Here is more, and don't cry please. It makes me feel bad. Savysnape7, aw thanks, I felt I owed you readers something a little lighter after what Effie as been through. Hayffiefanforlife, I approve of your user name and thanks! Anon, hey anon… thanks so much, like I said to Savysnape, I kinda owe you guys something sweeter after what Effie as been through. Here is the next chapter. DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11, Thanks, and enjoy this update, I've done my best! TheMyification, Hayffie brings on a lot of feelings, and the sensation that your heart is no longer in your chest… they are perfect, unlike this fanfic even though you say it is. Your kind words are so lovely, and because I don't want you to die I have got the next update ready. **

Neither Effie nor Haymitch talk about what I pretended not to witness in the hospital wing. When I woke up, Haymitch was sat in a chair eating something that wasn't my breakfast and Effie was still asleep. Haymitch greeted me with a scowl and I shot him one back before eating my soggy bowl of milk and bread. People checked on me, I was asked to film some more Mockingjay lines once I got out of hospital. And then me and Finnick went into the woods, resulting in minced venison been on the menu. Not that Effie touched it, preferring to eat Haymitch's slice of bread instead. Prim accidently knocked Effie's to the floor, and Haymitch was perfectly fine to let Effie take small bites from his. Prim was in distress afterwards, scared that the people of thirteen would hate her for wasting and that Haymitch and Effie would be angry at her. None of these things happened.

"Hey Effie, my mother talked to Coin" I say once I have finished my food. Everyone looks at me at this, minus Effie who is staring at her hands.

"What did she say?" She asks me timidly.

"Why don't you tell her Prim?" I say, nudging my sister with my elbow reassuringly. She has been uncharacteristically quiet at lunch ever since sending Effie's bread to the floor.

"She said that… that you can move into the room next to us" Prim says, breaking into a smile.

"Hey! That's brilliant Effie!" Finnick says, grinning "We can have sleepovers and everything" Finnick says, making Prim laugh, and even manages to bring a smile to my lips.

"Really?" Effie says, finally looking up at me with hopeful, wide eyes.

"What, you really want a sleepover?" I ask, not really picturing the four of us (Prim, Finnick, Effie and me) all sleeping together in the same room willingly. I had a sleepover with Madge once, we mostly talked about things and I played her piano a little. Not the sort of thing the four of us could do one night…

"No, am I really moving into the room next to you?" Effie asks me.

"Yes, once we have finished this, you can finally leave the hospital" I tell her.

"Thank you" She whispers to me, she can't say any more. Prim as ran up to her and as pulled her into a hug. Haymitch is shocked about this, seeing as Prim's shoulder made contact with his cheek. But Effie is running her hand up and down my sisters back so he can't really say anything. He still rubs his cheek though, I know I shouldn't, but I hope he gets a bruise. It would be funny to see him explain how he ended up with it.

We help Effie to her room after lunch. Haymitch has to go to the command room for reasons unknown to us, but Prim, Finnick, Gale and I all take the walk to the new room. She says we don't have to stay, but we all do, even Gale. We even get a surprise guest about an hour into conversation about the time Finnick almost speared someone's foot instead of the fish he was after.

"President" Gale says whilst the rest of us remain silent.

"Solider Hawthorne" She says with a nod. "I was hoping to have a quiet word with Miss Trinket if that was okay with you" She says, looking at me when she asks if it's okay. I want to say it isn't and slam the door in her face, but that won't do any of us any good. So I just sit there and allow Prim to tighten her hold around Effie's hand.

"Okay…" Effie says, struggling to stand up with Prim clutching to her. Coin's lips form a cold, thin lipped smile and Effie follows her out of the door.

"What does she want Effie for?" Finnick asks us. I shrug and Gale shakes his head.

"No idea…" Gale says, looking down at his communicuff.

"Will Effie be okay?" Prim asks, moving closer to me and wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Of course she will" I say, hoping my lie to Prim is actually correct. It takes a whole ten minutes, but Effie finally walks back into the room. She looks pale, but other than that she looks like she did before she left us. Finnick abruptly stops telling Prim about the aftermath of missing the foot of the man with his spear by _this_ much and we all sit in silence and watch as Effie rejoins us on the floor.

"Is everything okay Effie?" Finnick asks her. She pauses for the slightest of seconds before nodding and telling us everything is fine. We carry on as normal, as if Coin never walked in on us. Finnick tells funny stories, Gale talks about times in the woods, and I help with some facts he forgets to tell. Prim even tells us about when her cat buttercup tried to claw a peacekeeper, the only time I have ever liked the cat.

"Have you got any stories Effie?" Gale asks. "We've all told one, it really is turning into a 'sleepover'"

"Um… I don't think so, no" Effie says, looking at the floor.

"Come on Effie. If I can tell you about getting a thick ear for nearly stabbing someone in the foot, surely you have one too" Finnick says with a grin.

"Well… one time, I stole a bunch of my mother's stuff and sold it" She says quietly.

"Seriously?" Finnick says with a laugh, "How old were you?"

"Six, I wanted some new trainers" Effie tells us, still looking at the floor. We all laugh as soon as she says this. I feel a little bit of anger bubbling up inside at these words, that whilst people were starving a six year old Effie wanted some new trainers. A luxury that kids in the seam could never have. A six year old though… she was brought up to live like she did. I can't be angry at Effie; the thought of even harbouring these feelings for this woman when she is so weak makes me angry at only myself. And I carry on laughing as Finnick asks how her mother reacted.

"She went crazy" is how Effie described her mother's reaction, setting us of laughing again. These simple words of explanation seem to tire Effie out, and I help her up of the floor and into bed so she can get some rest. The four of us leave her to sleep. Gale shuts her door quietly behind us, and leaves to go to his room.

"I can just imagine a mini Effie sneaking around stealing her mother's wigs" Finnick says with a laugh and a shake of his head as we reach the door to my room.

"I wonder how much money she got" Prim says as I open the door and she walks inside.

"Ask her tomorrow at breakfast if you want to know" I tell her, "See you tomorrow Finnick" I add before entering my room, hearing his goodbye before shutting my door.

I don't really sleep that night. I listen out for sounds of Effie having a restless night. I think I hear crying coming from her room at one point, but like me, it seems Effie isn't going to sleep tonight. And I really should get to sleep; we are going back to my District tomorrow. We are filming more Mockingjay propos. Whilst my prep team would be able to easily put make up over my to cover the bags under my eyes, I don't think no one would appreciate me yawing through a propo. So I make myself more comfortable and shut my eyes, trying to get to sleep.

I think I may have drifted off, but I'm been woken up by Prim before I can get full advantage of my slumber. It's time to greet my prep team and get ready for a trip to twelve. They do need to dab something under my eyes to get rid of the shadows, apparently the sleep I got wasn't enough. They dress me in my Mockingjay gear whilst I stand still. I don't know if I'm listening to instructions or just stood there with nothing sinking in. All I know is I am to keep my ear-piece in. I refuse to have the head shackle or the chip placed upon me instead.

"Katniss, you've been told about the new addition to your team, right?" Boggs says when we head of to the Hangar.

"No, I haven't" I say, a little annoyed that I am, once again, the last to know.

"Haymitch wasn't too happy, but Coin said it was for the best" Boggs tells me as we get closer.

"Why wouldn't Haymitch be happy? It's another pair of eyes to keep me from stepping out of line, right?" I ask.

"I'll let you see for yourself" Is all Boggs says. I find myself shrugging; it can't be too big an addition if I haven't been told.

Apparently it can be. After I get someone to inform my mother I am headed for twelve, I near the hovercraft and see a familiar figure stood close to it. It must be the new member of the team. She looks young and skinny, can't be a soldier as her grey suit is hanging of her. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a braid and she appears to be in conversation with Plutarch. Boggs reaches them first, shaking both their hands, before entering the hovercraft.

I follow behind him, my eyes locked on the blonde braid that moves even if the woman moves her head the tiniest fraction. I am taken aback when her braid spins around suddenly, and I am staring at her scared face and not her hair. The scars on her face all too familiar, the one running down her cheek still managing to make me sick to my stomach.

"Oh, hello Katniss!" Plutarch says cheerfully, I ignore him; I can't tear my eyes from the team's new member. I suddenly know why Haymitch wasn't happy about this appointment. Because as I finally look away from the torn scar running down her cheek and up to her eyes, I can only think about when I first came across her in thirteen. And she looks just as scared now as she did then. "Say hello to your new escort then Katniss" Plutarch says when there is nothing but silence between the three of us.

There is no need to say hello, we are familiar with each other already. My new escort, the woman who looks after me, is the woman who needs to be looked after herself. It's Effie…


	11. Chapter 11

**Long time no update guys. I'm sorry, blame school. I hope this update makes up for things. I know I usually reply to all my lovely readers' reviews in my chapters. But this is so long already, so if you reviewed I love you, and am in the middle of replying to all your reviews over private message. Things will get back to normal soon, but I'm in a rush to get this up because I love you guys. I hope you enjoy this! **

"Hi Katniss" Effie mumbles. I think she is attempting to sound bright, but she just looks terrified.

"Effie…" I gasp, looking her up and down, "What are you doing here?" I ask her. She doesn't answer but she shakes her head at me. Plutarch begins to talk to me but I don't hear anything. It's only when he is happily clapping his hands and telling us to board the hovercraft I come back to my senses and hop up into the thing.

Effie pushes herself up after me and Plutarch follows. He heads of down to corridor talking to himself. I hang back with Effie, waiting for her to say something. Silence between us lasts a while. Then just as she opens her mouth we hear thudding and before I know it Haymitch is coming towards us.

"Come on you two" He says, pushing me forward slightly and wrapping his hand around Effie's arm to drag her along the right path. I can see he is trying to remain calm. Whilst Effie is shaking due to what I assume is nerves, he is shaking out of keeping his anger inside him. I can't blame him. I too am angry at Coin for making Effie accompany us to twelve. She is in no fit state for leaving the hospital wing, yet alone go and help film propos. But yet she has her own room and is in the hovercraft with us. I have a feeling Haymitch is going to try and reverse this decision the second we return to thirteen.

"Haymitch, I'm glad you decided to join us after all!" Plutarch says when Haymitch kicks the door open and leads us inside. "Wasn't going to come were you? But here you are. Team player"

I snort a little at this comment, earning a glare from Haymitch who looks ready to smash something. I never thought I'd hear Haymitch described as a team player, especially by Plutarch. "Well, here I am" He grunts, before throwing himself down into a chair.

"Miss Trinket, it's good to finally have you on the team too" Plutarch says, turning away from Haymitch when he doesn't say anything else. The former victor choosing to glare at the floor instead.

"Thank you Plutarch" Effie says quietly, managing a small, polite smile.

"Well, it's all going well so far. Haymitch and Effie always worked well together so it's good that you're finally together again! And, Fulvia should have the first we remember propos soon!" Plutarch grins before showing us a map of the districts. Telling us the before and after effects of the propo we aired, and re-ran to death.

When we land in the meadow I make sure to position myself between Haymitch and Effie so I won't be pestered by Plutarch. Or have to feel guilty about Gale – even though he should be the one feeling guilty. "Effie, are you okay?" I whisper to her as we walk. She turns to face me for a second and nods. "Are you sure?" I ask as I step over a branch. Well, I hope it's a branch…

"I'm fine thanks Katniss" She says quietly. I don't believe her for a second. But Haymitch's hand is prodding my shoulder, and when I turn to ask him what he wants, he simply shakes his head at me. I understand – he wants me to quieten down and leave Effie alone. I nod back and spend the rest of the journey to my old house staring at the floor. My quietness stretches on even when it shouldn't, because I find myself simply staring at the sky as I sit in my old home instead of talking to the camera. Thankfully I don't have to speak, and we move on.

"Was the house nice, before this?" Effie asks as we walk away from it.

"Well… it was home" I mutter, "A lot of memories…" I add.

"Have you got a nice memory? Of your old house?" Effie asks me. The timid shake in her voice makes me determined to find a good one to tell her about.

"Well… my favourites usually involve my father" I say, "Like, he used to pick me up and spin me around the room. My mother said I always enjoyed that. But I kept kicking things of tables so he had to stop doing it. In the house anyway, he still spun me around in the meadow though"

"My father did that. Spun me around the room" Effie tells me. I think I see the glimpse of a smile on her face, which manages to make me feel better about the current situation. We fall silent as Gale reaches his old address and pulls out the last possession from the 'house'. A twisted metal poker. He tells Cressida about his old life, how he made a living… all that sort of information. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad when we leave.

"Are they filming your house Haymitch?" I ask him. He shakes his head and carries on walking forwards.

"He's finding it hard, been back here. That's why he's been a little… off" Effie tells me.

"Well… Gale managed" I say, kicking a pebble as we walk. I can hardly say I managed, seeing as I couldn't get any words out.

"Don't be hard on him Katniss" Effie says shakily, "He didn't want to be here. He's trying his best"

I shrug and we walk in silence. If he didn't want to be here, he didn't have to. Something Plutarch said on the Hovercraft comes back to me as I think about Haymitch coming along. He wasn't going to come, but he changed his mind at the last minute. When Effie was introduced to the team… he's here to help her. I can't blame him, what with Coin's warning hanging over us. I decide to follow Effie's advice and not be hard on Haymitch.

Lost in my thoughts, I find myself at the lake. Cressida calling for a break. I stand were I am for a moment, observing the others that have made the journey to twelve. I notice Effie as chosen to sit next to Pollux. I expected her to stick by Haymitch's side, but he seems to be in conversation with Plutarch. I decide to join them, with Pollux been an avox and Effie as silent as one, I won't have to worry about conversation with them.

Cheese sandwiches are passed around, and I take a bite out of one, struggling to swallow. Pollux next to me is taking small bites of the sandwich, after a while he begins to rip chunks of with his fingers and pops them into his mouth instead of biting. Effie hasn't touched hers. And after looking over her shoulder to check no eyes are on her, she chucks the sandwich into the bush close to her.

I decide to catch up with Haymitch on the hovercraft and tell him about Effie not touching the food. She suddenly looks up, her braid bouncing upwards elegantly, and I follow her movement and see a Mockingjay flying around. I nudge Pollux and show him, then point to my Mockingjay pin. Effie turns round to look at us; I see her eyes fluttering down to look at my pin. I remember back on the victory tour, when she said we should all have matching Mockingjay items and such to show we were a team. At the time I thought it was a harmless comment, that she didn't take into consideration that my pin became a symbol for the rebellion. But after recent events I'm starting to think she knew full well that my pin was the sign of rebellion, and that the word team meant more than just parading around the Capitol together during the games. I guess that's something else me and Haymitch need to discuss.

I'm taken from my thoughts by a nudge from Pollux, who as picked a twig up and as written 'sing' in spindly letters in the dirt. Effie too is looking down at them; I wonder when these two damaged people last heard singing, or bird song. Something that isn't simply the noise of the Capitol or District Thirteen. So I sing for them, I sing the hanging tree. A song from my childhood. My childhood with my father. I remember how Effie looked a little happier when I managed to bring up our fathers, so I decide to tell her the origins of this song – and the memories tied to it – at a later date.

I finish. Silence. Pollux is looking up at the birds that no longer are passing around Rue's melody, tears running down his face. I look to see how Effie took the song, and she is simply staring of into the distance. Haymitch is stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder looking down on her. I wonder how he got to her so fast, unnoticed. Then I see something else I never noticed – Castor filming what just unfolded. It is then the Mockingjays pick up the chorus of the Hanging Tree, beautifully passing it around.

"Cut!" Castor yells. I never even knew they were filming.

"You have such a nice voice" Effie mumbles, looking at me. "You should have sung for your talent, not had Cinna make you a fashion extraordinaire"

"I'm not that good" I shrug, deciding not to tell her that I never wanted the Capitol to hear me sing. I'm glad she liked it though, and she shuts her eyes as the birds carry on the sing the tune. I hope she is remembering happier times and not something bad… with her eyes shut, her innocent features make her look the same age as me, and not… then I realise I don't know how old Effie is. I guess I'll have to ask her. Or Haymitch. My mother once said asking a woman their age is cheeky, I learnt that the hard way after asking a friend of Greasy Sae. She wasn't very pleased to say the least.

We are been led back to town now. We don't get there as soon as we thought. Gale and I end up sat in our old lookout. Talking about hunting, funny stories… all been filmed to be shoved into a propo. Finally, I pluck a blueberry from a branch and launch it high into the air, so he can chose whether to catch it or let it fall. "And may the odds…"

"…Be _ever_ in your favour"

He takes a while to say it, but he does. We both use the same, mocking, Capitol accent we did back before the first games. Its only when I see him smile slightly, I realise that the woman whose accent we would mock relentlessly back then is stood watching us. I turn to face her, expecting to see hurt or something of the sort on her face. Instead she is staring straight back at me, and my eyes are looking directly into hers. Whilst you can't see it on her face, the glisten in her usually vacant eyes tells me she found this… amusing in some way maybe. I smile at her, and to my surprise, she gives me a small, timid smile back.

We hop down from where we were seated for the interviews and begin to make our way back to the hovercraft. I hang back to keep pace with Effie. "Do I really sound like that?" She asks me. I wasn't expecting this question, and the fact I was caught so of guard makes me laugh a little.

"Um, maybe… a little" I say, having no idea what to really tell her. I don't know what her answer will be to this comment, but I don't add anything else to it. Instead she looks to the floor a smiles a little. I honestly don't know what's going on in her mind, one minute she's a complete wreak, the next she's smiling. It seems getting outside has done her good.

"Back to District 13 it is then! Come on everyone!" Plutarch says, gesturing for us all to enter the hovercraft before him. I step inside, and hold my hand out to help Effie in. But as her hand wraps around mine I notice she's shut off again. A vacant, empty shell of a person once more. I don't know what it is about thirteen that makes her shrink away from everything, but I can tell as she shakily enters the hovercraft she isn't looking forward to going back.


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm so sorry I haven't got this up sooner – school really is getting to me. I have another FIVE reviews to do for movies; I think I'm going to collapse. But I was determined to get this up for you guys. Right, I am amazed that this story is still getting put on alert and been added as a favourite story, I say this all the time but it really means a lot. **

**This also passed a hundred reviews. So this is officially the most successful story! Thank you to all the Hayffie shippers out there who have read this and took interest in this. I love you all! xx .side xx: I'm sorry this wasn't quicker in the slightest! But enjoy. Magyk-girl200: I think I may have said this before… but I really try hard to get characterization correct, so this comment that I'm doing this well means a lot. Thank you! DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11: Maybe… maybe not. You'll have to wait and see! I'm glad you are enjoying this enough to think of just why Effie is acting the way she is. And no hating at this end! I'm happy you are giving an opinion on what you think is wrong with her! Shikabane-Mai: I'm glad you like this. I'm glad you felt that way about Effie; I was trying to get that across – that she feels better away from thirteen, so I'm glad you picked up on it! District11tribute: I'm glad you're still loving this! And its okay! Enjoy this!**

**And without further ado, onto chapter 12…**

"The mission was a success, yes?" Coin asks as we step of the hovercraft. Boggs is the one who replies, I am determined not to look at the president. Instead I spend more time than necessary checking Effie over for any injuries she may have gotten on the journey. Effie, who didn't do anything more than sit down and walk next to me, does the same with me. And it must look convincing enough because when Coin leaves, she doesn't say a word to me or Effie.

"Come on, let's go and get lunch" I whisper to Effie, who nods slowly. It isn't until I observe Haymitch staring at us that I remember I need to tell him about Effie not eating, "Haymitch! Coming for some food?" I ask him, turning around suddenly and managing to make Effie jump. He glowers at me for a second, then nods his head and walks up to us. I'm pretty certain he knows I'm after more than just a nice lunch with him.

"What food do you miss from the Capitol Effie?" I ask when we walk inside the walls of District 13 and head towards the lunch room. Trying to make conversation for a change.

"Um…" Effie mumbles, pondering over what to say. "I don't really miss much" She tells me quietly with a small shrug.

"Really? What about all that food we had at Snow's mansion that time? On the Victors Tour" I ask her, not liking the memories that resurface about the days of the tour. But I'm determined to get something more than a shrug and a hasty reply out of Effie.

"Well, I guess… no actually" Effie says, stuttering over her sentences and changing her mind mid-speech. "I don't miss much about the Capitol" She adds quieter than before. She doesn't miss much about the Capitol… I'm guessing she isn't just on about the food they produced there when she says this. Which is strange. Despite the fact I feel the need to protect Effie, an Effie who is weak, vulnerable and who has grown on me – I always imagined her to be longing for Capitol fashions and parties and the lifestyle she once lived in.

"Nothing?" I ask, I think Haymitch is glaring at me.

"Nothing. Well, I guess I miss my parents, but that's it" She says quickly. I want to ask more, but Haymitch is shoving my arm slightly. I look to him and he is shaking his head. I don't intrude any more, despite wanting to find out more about Effie's family. It's strange really; I never imagined what Effie's family would be like. I never really thought she had one until today…

"Hazelle!" I say when we almost bump into the woman when we are walking in to get our food.

"Katniss, hi" She replies with a warm smile, "Gale told me you went to District 12. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" I tell her, managing a small smile back. "Haymitch, can I have a word before we eat?" I ask him. He nods, a little confused. Effie stands in the middle of us, looking smaller than usual.

"Effie, do you want to come with me? Posy, Rory and Vick are already inside, and we can save Katniss and Haymitch a seat whilst they talk" Hazelle asks turning to Effie. Slowly she nods, and I can't thank Hazelle enough as she leads Effie to the food. Haymitch and I just stand there in silence watching as the two women walk away, then when I'm not expecting Haymitch tugs me to the side.

"Watch it!" I say when he finally releases his grip on my arm.

"Hurry up Katniss, what do you want?" He whispers to me, leaning in a little when two soldiers walk past us. I remain silent until they have gone.

"It's about Effie"

"I guessed"

"She isn't eating" I said, ignoring his comment.

"You sound surprised" He says

"You sound like you couldn't care less" I snap back. I wish I could take the words back as soon as they come of my mouth. "…Haymitch… I" I stutter when I see something flare up inside him.

"Do you know why she isn't eating Katniss?" He asks me, his voice shaking in anger.

"No" I mumble back, ashamed to find myself looking to the floor so I'm not looking at him.

"Well. Let me enlighten you" He tells me with a snap "There's more to torturing someone that using whips and fists you know" He begins to say. I don't want to know the rest. "When they gave her food, they put something in it… I don't know what. It made her hallucinate… made her nightmares worse. Made the pain so bad she wished she was dead. Do you know why I know that? Because she told me. She told me she wished she was dead sometimes. So don't tell me that I don't care less" He spits at me, his eyes beginning to water over. I feel a drop of something fall from mine, and wipe it away quickly.

"Sorry…" I mumble to him, still looking at the floor. "I didn't know…"

"That was obvious" He says, a little calmer now.

"Haymitch, I really am" I say, finally looking up at him to see his eyes red raw.

"Now… I need to tell you something. So stop feeling sorry for yourself" He says, talking in a hushed tone again. "You are one of the only people Effie trusts. You, Finnick and me" He says, "She likes your sister too. So I want you to look after her when I can't Katniss. Don't leave her on her own. I don't care what anyone says to you to try and separate you, stay with her" He says, I nod quickly.

"I will" I promise him.

"I can't always be there, so you really have to mean it Katniss" He tells me.

"I do mean it" I tell him. "And I really am sorry" I add.

"Right then…" Haymitch says, running a hand through his messy mop of hair. "Best get back to her, come on"

I nod and we begin to walk to the table. I wipe any remains of dampness from my face and sit so close to Effie my elbows bang into hers when I eat my food. I notice that the only thing Effie eats is a piece of bread that Haymitch has taken a bite out. I can't help but think that the only reason she eats the roll is because Haymitch has proved it isn't laced with anything poisonous from thirteen.

"Hey, do you want to go and see Prim back in my room?" I ask Effie when we have finished. She nods, looking down at her plate of uneaten food. She picks the plate up quickly, and for a second I think she is actually going to eat the food, but instead she passes it over to Rory, Vick and Posy's hungry eyes. With loud and enthusiastic 'thank you's' the three begin to share the food out between them.

"You didn't need to do that Effie" Hazelle says warmly to her.

"I wasn't going to eat it anyway. Better to give it to them and not let it go to waste" Effie mumbles.

"Well, thank you" Hazelle says with a smile.

"Do you want to go now Effie?" I ask, looking up and seeing Boggs' curious eyes on us. She nods quickly and stands up.

"Thank you for the food Effie!" Vick says through a mouthful of the stuff.

"It's okay" Effie says, managing a small, wavering smile. Haymitch stands up now and we begin to make our way back to my room. I feel like I should have said something to Hazelle about Gale, but I can't exactly run back and ask her to pass on a message to him.

"Prim?" I whisper, poking my head into the room when I open it.

"Katniss!" My sister exclaims, before jumping up and hugging me. Reminding me of the girl back in District 12 before the games for a moment.

"Hey, guess what? Effie is joining us for a while" I tell her. Prim lets go of me and wraps her arms around Effie who has taken a couple of small steps into the room.

"Hello Effie" Prim says happily.

"Hi Prim" Effie says, wrapping her arms around my sister for a couple of seconds before they drop to her sides. Prim lets go, and grabs her arm instead, dragging her to the bed for her to sit down on it. I look over to Haymitch, who has joined us in the room. He nods to me, and our earlier conversation comes flooding back. She likes Prim, and we need to use that to make her feel better.

"Hey Prim, why don't you tell Effie about what you did today?" I ask. Prim begins to tell her about her hospital duties straight away with a grin on her lips. I walk over to Haymitch and I ask if he wants to stay a while too. He shakes his head, telling me he needs a word with Coin. I tell him if he bumps into Finnick to invite him over. After all, I promised to try and help, and Finnick is one of the only four people Effie feels like she can trust. He says he will and walks of.

"Well, am I allowed in this conversation?" I ask, joining Effie and Prim on the bed with a smile. Prim says a quick yes before launching back into conversation and I can't help but laugh a little at how eager Prim is to tell Effie about her day. No wonder she is one of the only people Effie trusts. Why she trusts me though is another matter… and I will probably never understand it.

"Someone told me you needed to see me" A voice says. And we all turn around to see Finnick's head poking around the side of the door.

"I have a real urge to slam that on you" I admit, making him laugh, then put on a face of shock.

"Violent today Katniss" He says, walking over to us and jumping onto the bed with such force both Prim and Effie get launched upwards from the bed before landing on the covers again. Making Finnick laugh again. "You need to get more food down you, I thought you were going to go through the ceiling then!" Finnick says, poking Prim in the ribs. I look over to Effie who looks close to tears, and find my hand reaching out to hers and squeezing it. She jumps a little and looks at me quickly.

"Its okay" I mouth to her, and she nods. Her free hand begins to wipe away tears that are beginning to flow. "It's going to be okay" I say quietly whilst Prim and Finnick joke around.

She does something I don't expect next. She leans into me and wraps her arms around me, and whilst it takes me aback, I find myself wrapping my arms around her in turn. I'm shocked at how small she is in my arms, but I understand why she is doing this to herself now. "It'll be okay Effie" I say once more, looking down on her tiny body in my arms. "It will" I say again. Maybe if I say it enough times it will come true. But I know that is a ridiculous thought, and just wishing for it to happen won't make it happen. If only it could be like that though…


	13. Chapter 13

**This took a while to get up, sorry guys. I want to get straight on with the story so I shall reply to Reviews later today or tomorrow through Private Messaging. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I would love it if you reviewed too, give me something to read over than revision notes :)**

I remember Prim leaning across to hug Effie when she began to cry harder. I remember Finnick almost pushing me to the floor to check if she was okay. Usually, I would have minded that I came so close to from the bed and potentially injuring myself again, but I can't help but remember Haymitch telling me that Finnick and Prim were two of the four people she trusted in thirteen. And I can't be anything but grateful that both Finnick and Prim care about her.

It is the day after Effie broke down, and she hasn't left my room. Last night she was ready to leave but I made her stay with us. I tell her to remain in my room once again when she wakes from a fitful sleep, before leaving it myself and going for a nap in a supply closet. I promised Effie I would take her to lunch, and even though we both know she won't touch a thing she agreed to go down with me. So I go back to my room after awakening from my nap and open the door quietly, so I don't make Effie jump. I see her sat upright simply staring into the distance.

"Effie" I say quietly, getting nothing from the woman. I walk forwards slowly and place my hand on her shoulder; she immediately leaps of the bed. I stumble backwards at the shock of her sudden movement, and I have to compose myself quickly as Effie begins to rock backwards and forwards unsteadily on her feat. "Effie… it's me" I say, walking around my bed to reach her.

"Get away from me!" She yells without looking at me, her hands are firmly placed against the wall now and she is leaning upon them for support. Tentatively, I take a step closer.

"It's me, Katniss" I say as softly as I can muster, which given the current situation, isn't that soft.

"Katniss?" Effie mumbles, slowly turning away from the wall and to me. Her tone sounds confused, like she is trying to remember a dream. It's quite chilling, but at least she isn't screaming at me again.

"Yeah, I said we were going down for lunch together. Remember?" I ask. She shakes her head, trying to recall memories, but she is more likely than not wasting her time.

"I'm not hungry" She says quietly and in the same breath.

"Well, you need to leave this room at the very least. You don't have to eat anything" I tell her, patience beginning to run thin. I take a deep breath, and remember the words Haymitch said at our previous lunch. I can't snap at her, it'll make things worse. Even if that is all I want to do at the moment. Instead, I carefully intertwine my fingers in hers. "Come on Effie" I say. And with wide, watery eyes, she nods and follows me from the room.

"I'm sorry… I thought you were someone else" She tells me when we get walking. I nod to her and reassure her that it is okay. Even though, I'm still a little taken aback at how quick she jumped away from me. "You just, made me jump…" She says, before looking to the floor and falling silent. Reverting back to her previous silent state.

"Who did you think I was Effie?" I ask after about five minutes of silence.

"I… I can't… don't remember" Effie mumbles, trailing of weakly. I'm pretty sure she does remember, and just doesn't want to say, but I don't push the matter further. I simply nod to acknowledge I heard her timid reply and the walk to the lunch room continues in silence. When we get to the corridor were the lunch room is located, I feel Effie's hand tighten around mine.

"It's okay Effie" I say to her. She turns to look at me almost as fast as she jumped up to get away from me. "Come on, I won't be long" I tell her, having to practically drag her trembling body through the doors to get my lunch. I tell he to go and sit down, and it takes her a couple of moments to move away from me. However, when I see Boggs' eyes on us, I grab her wrist and pull her back next to me. She looks shocked at the sudden contact, but she doesn't complain.

"Do you want anything Effie?" I ask her when I pick my tray up and head over to Greasy Sae. Effie shakes her head and stands close to me as Greasy Sae pours a bowl of pea soup out for me. "Are you sure? She can cook anything, even tree bark, can't you?" I say, taking my bowl from the older woman.

"I can't here. The cooks are strict on things like that, these days it a hundred percent meat and veg" Greasy Sae says, sounding a tad annoyed about the rules on not cooking tree bark for lunch. She hands me a roll of bread, then slams another one onto my tray.

"You're only supposed to-" I begin. I don't want Greasy Sae getting into trouble for giving me extra food. She shakes her head though and points at Effie who is shrinking away every second.

"That one needs feeding up. Turning into skin and bones she is" Greasy Sae says in a smaller voice, probably so Effie doesn't hear. I nod and walk away from the woman, Effie following me silently. When we sit down I place the tray in the middle of us and shove the second bread roll in her hands. She simply looks at it whilst I pick my spoon up and begin to shovel down the soup.

"You can eat it you know" I tell her, "She wants you to and so do I" I say to Effie who still hasn't touched the bread roll. With shaking hands, she lifts the roll to her mouth and takes a small bite. You can barely tell she has bitten into it, but it seems like a big effort for her to chew it up.

"It's too dry" She mumbles after what looked like a painful swallow. I manage not to sigh, but push my bowl of soup further towards her.

"Dip it in there, it'll taste a lot better" I tell her. Maybe it's the twinge of impatience in my voice, maybe it's because she's finally allowing herself to eat food in thirteen, but she dips a small corner of the bread into the soup and nibbles on it. The fact she avoids looking at me when she does this hints that it was the slightly impatient tone that made her follow my orders.

"There's a meeting in command, disregard your current schedule" Boggs says, suddenly stood next to us.

"Done" I shrug through a mouthful of my bread dipped in soup. Effie seems determined not to look at either me or Boggs, and she also is determined not to eat another bite of her bread. But at least she's had half of it, better than nothing.

"Did you follow it all today?"

"Who knows, I'm mentally disorientated" I tell him, lifting up my hand to show him the purple bracelet on my wrist. A purple bracelet that isn't anywhere to be seen. "See, I can't even remember they took my bracelet" I add, flaunting my wrist, absent of any purple bracelet.

"Well, Cressida was going to show you the District 12 propos if you wanted a look" Boggs tells me when my hand leaves the air and is back around my spoon for me to continue with my lunch. "You are invited to come too Effie" He adds. Effie finally turns to look our way and she nods a little at Boggs. "You've both been saved a seat" He says. The way he tells us this means we can't back out, so I stand up and Effie follows my lead.

Walking to the command room is silent, but noise levels pick up as we near the room. Like when we were close to entering the lunch room, Effie grabs my hand and holds it tightly. I don't mind, I have a feeling it'll be hard for me too. I don't tell her it'll be okay this time; instead I squeeze her hand a little. Boggs looks over his shoulder at us and gives us a half smile, which looks weird on him. He turns back around and pushes the door to command open and we walk through, the room full of people waiting to watch the propos.

We end up sat next to Finnick and Haymitch. I take the seat next to Finnick and Effie sits next to Haymitch. Finnick says a small hello to the both of us and shoots Effie a concerned look; I still think he is concerned about what he saw yesterday. It's understandable; it was a shock for all of us. Haymitch, who was told what happened yesterday by Finnick, is holding onto Effie's hand whilst she stares into the distance.

Plutarch, who has just entered the room, sits beside the last vacant seat beside Haymitch and gives us all a cheerful hello. For the first time, I notice the screens are full of Capitol scenes and not the propos. "I thought we were seeing the District 12 propos" I say, looking to Plutarch for an explanation. I hope Boggs hasn't dragged us up here for nothing.

Apparently not, because as Finnick and Plutarch fill in the gaps it becomes a lot clearer to me. If Beetee succeeds, I think we'll never hear the end of it.

"You're right, it's starting" Haymitch says to Finnick as the Capitol seal covers the screen. When I find myself staring directly at President Snow, I turn to face Effie. I'm suddenly not just scared about the events that will happen when the propo airs, but also about how Effie will take this. She is holding onto Haymitch's hand tightly, and he isn't complaining at all, even though I think I can see his skin turning a darker shade of pink due to the way her fingers are clamped around his. When Effie gasps I turn to face the screen and see Peeta sat there.

"He's worse" I whisper to Finnick, who grasps my hand to give me an anchor. I feel my fingers tightening, it seems I was right to be worried, but at least I do have someone to hold on to. And as he begins to talk about the need for ceasefire I suddenly find myself on the screen.

"Beetee's done it! He broke in!" Plutarch exclaims, jumping up. Effie and Finnick both turn to me at the same time, whilst everyone else in the room is chatting about what just happened, they remain silent. Haymitch too isn't joining in with any conversation; he is just staring at the screen with an expression I can't read on his face. Peeta is back for a split second and then Finnick is on the screen talking about Rue. Soon it turns into a battle between the Capitol broadcasters and Beetee; I can feel everyone apart from the four of us egging Beetee on.

And Beetee is winning; Plutarch especially is jumping for joy. Cheering begins to fill the room as five to ten second propos are been aired, sending the Capitol show into turmoil. Finnick, Effie and Haymitch remain silent though, and I can't thank them enough for that. "This is just amazing!" Plutarch practically squeals. I look to Haymitch, whose face is half obscured by Effie's head which is resting on his shoulder whilst she stares at the screen with an absent look in her eyes.

Haymitch's eyes aren't empty though, they are filled with dread similar to mine. With every cheer, Peeta slips further away. And it is terrifying. Propos disappear and the Capitol seal is up, after about twenty seconds of flat audio, Snow and Peeta are back up on the screen. Turmoil is evident on set as Snow talks about the rebels to the citizens of Panem. He also asks Peeta about me. And after those words, I feel Effie's hand on my own free one. Her head is still on Haymitch's shoulder and she isn't looking at me. But her slight touch is all I need.

_Dead by morning…_

"What?" I hear Effie mumble, "What's he on about Haymitch?" I hear Effie say. Her head rising of Haymitch's shoulder and a pleading tone for information in her voice. "Haymitch…" She repeats her voice breaking. He doesn't answer, but his arm as found its way around her shoulder. He is engrossed by events on the screen. I turn back to face it and every now and again I see my image in the midst of live footage from the Capitol.

And when Peeta's blood hits the tiles I hear Effie scream from beside me.


	14. Chapter 14

**So, I lied and didn't message the lovely reviews last time around. Why? Exams, that's why. So thanks to Savysnape7, Amber77 (Who isn't been super girly, I'm glad you like that!), Shikabane-Mai (I'm glad you like the family feel of it, I was working on that because my mind as its own section dedicated to head cannons and this is one of them and I wanted to get it right.), Gentlefurable, JulialovesLovato and vampirefairy09 for reviewing chapter 12. **

**Moving on to Chapter 13 now (and the people who reviewed previous chapters alongside this chapter) so a big thanks to erasmuse's three reviews (I approve that you are rooting for Hayffie. I always say this, but I'm glad you like the characterization because I work hard on it), Shikabane-Mai, hutcherwife and vampirefairy09.**

**Now, Chapter 14. I enjoyed writing this, and I'm sorry for how long it has taken to get up. Exams are nearly over and I have a week of so I saw the window of opportunity and chose to get this chapter written and up! Also, I'm trying to do another chapter for later in the week to make up for how long this has taken. Enjoy!**

I've become an avox. Suddenly mute, only able to choke on my grief. I wish I could let my cries out; it would be so much easier. But I can't. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse. I want to cry, but with Coin in the room it wouldn't be a clever move. Maybe I should be grateful that my emotion is currently jammed in my throat, unable to move.

I hear talking all around me. Fast, furious talking. Confusion evident in their words. I want it to stop, but I can't say anything. I listen as they debate over Peeta, if he is telling the truth, how he found out…

"Shut up!" Haymitch yells and all eyes fall on him. Silence. "It's not some big mystery! The boy's telling us we are about to be attacked. Here in Thirteen"

Outbursts of questions flare up. I ignore them, choosing to stare over to Haymitch instead. He isn't interested in what is going on around him. He is too busy caring for Effie. I can't see her face. Haymitch is holding her in a way which has allowed her to hide in his chest. From the way her body is rocking back and forth I can tell she is still crying. I see his lips move, I don't know what words they form but I assume it is something reassuring for her. She looks up, her hair the liveliest thing about her as it bounces around at the movement. I think she is telling Haymitch something. She must be, because Haymitch suddenly goes from showing the caring side I didn't know he possessed to the Haymitch I am used to seeing.

"There beating him bloody as we speak! What more do you need?" Haymitch says, cutting through the buzz of words and making me jump. Effie winces at these words, and Haymitch runs a hand through her hair before staring directly at me "Katniss help me out here"

I need to give myself a shake, but I manage to get the words out. Whilst I couldn't let out the sobs I can form a sentence. Just. "Haymitch is right. I don't know where Peeta got the information. Or if it's true. But he believes it is. And they're-" I can't finish the sentence. I can't say how he is getting brutally beaten whilst we speak like Haymitch did. But I manage to do what he asked me to.

"You don't know him. We do. Get your people ready"

And they do. Lockdown, a level five drill. I've been around for two drills. One happened whilst I was in the hospital but patients didn't have to go down so I paid no attention. The second I was only vaguely aware of, remembering about the different zones and not much else. But nothing, even if I had paid more attention to the drills, would be able to prepare me for the ear splitting rings as the drill is set in place.

"Katniss!"

I find myself standing suddenly, the yell coming from behind me. I turn around and see Haymitch protectively holding on to a terrified Effie. "What?" I ask, a little blunter than expected. Louder than I thought it would be.

"I'm not coming with you, but Effie is" He says. Both Effie's and mine mouths open at the same time to protest but the hand Haymitch isn't using to hold Effie's with does a motion that makes us both fall silent. "I want you to stay together down there, okay?"

"Okay" I say. Finnick is stood behind me telling us we need to go, "We will, come on Effie" I say, holding out my hand to her. She takes it, and shoots a nervous look towards Haymitch as we are lead from the room.

"Katniss!" I hear my name yelled once more just as we near the exit of the room. I turn around and look at a grim faced Haymitch once more. "Look after her" He says. I can't reply, I am been led from the room by the stream of exiting bodies. But surely he knows I will look after her. Even if he hadn't asked I would have. I'm still holding to Effie's hand as promised, even while the tide of people tightens and more join us. Finnick helps lead the way through the masses, and I follow him whilst leading Effie along. Despite the wails of the alarm she still looks out of it, looking at the floor and not in the direction I'm leading her.

"We're nearly there now Effie" I tell her, with barely any emotion behind it even though I tried. She doesn't react, her eyes still on the floor.

"How is she?" Finnick asks me over his shoulder.

"Same as usual" I tell him. His face looks more worried than it was before, and his eyes flit to Effie for a second before he looks forward to lead us to our designated area.

"Where's Prim?" I hear asked after minutes of silence. I turn around too look at Effie, who is finally looking up and at me.

"I don't know. She'll be coming down with us somewhere" I say, looking around for my younger sister. Trying to ignore the lifeless, empty look inhabiting Effie's once lively eyes. We go further downward, and I continue to look for Prim and my mother. I think Effie is too, but it is hard to tell. Her face once so easy to read is now void of any hints to what she is thinking.

It appears we have finally reached the end of our journey, and I am grateful as the numerous flights of stairs descending down only remind me of the mines back home. I go to walk straight in to what I assume will be our living area during the drill but get stopped by Boggs. I have to flash my schedule in front of a scanner. With a shaking arm Effie follows my lead. I hadn't noticed she had one imprinted, but the schedule isn't what I'm staring at. It is the scars of her arm. The ones fading, the ones healing, the ones still deep… Effie quickly spins around and looks upward at me. For the first time her eyes aren't empty. They are filled with a slightly mad terror, tears beginning to form. I look away quickly, slightly ashamed and also sick. The sudden nausea brought on by the state Effie is currently in. Quickly she pulls her sleeve down and hides the beaten limb. I tighten my hand around hers, and breathe a sigh of relief when her own fingers tighten around mine.

Boggs is talking to Effie, Finnick and me now – telling us to report to the area which matches our assigned compartments. I open my mouth, I promised Haymitch I wouldn't let Effie out of my sight. But Boggs raises a hand to quieten me before I can even begin. "Soldier Abernathy informed us of what he told you, and permission has been granted to keep you together" He says. When he does tell us this, he smiles a little at Effie. None of us expected this, and I don't know what brought it on. I think she tries to return the smile but her bottom lip is shaking too much to pick up on it.

"Come on Effie" I say, removing my hand from hers and wrapping my arm around her hunched over shoulders instead. I lead her to our assigned area, sensing Boggs' eyes on our back as we walk. When we escape the gaze of Boggs I turn to Effie to say something, only to be jumped upon by a Plutarch still brimming with happiness.

"Katniss! Effie!" He says, launching into speech. I want to shut him up, not wanting to listen to him say things about setting an example not to panic. I suggest pretending to be on camera and he is ecstatic over that suggestion. I think I've done it, shut him up, when he says how excellent that idea is. And then I want to slap him for talking about the courage Peeta just displayed.

"Should…Shouldn't you be with Haymitch and C-coin?" Effie says. Despite the circumstances she is under, the question comes out strong. I understand what she is doing, she understands me. That is what happens when you are thrown together with someone all of a sudden. You get to know each over, read each over… tortured, terrified, tormented Effie is the strongest person in the room at the moment. The only person stopping me from hitting Plutarch who is unfazed and seemingly untroubled about events.

He does need to go, and off he runs. Not before yelling over his shoulder about telling Haymitch we said hello. If there was something close to hand, I would aim it at the back of his retreating head. "B-but we didn't say hello…" Effie says, the strength she managed to muster previously gone.

"Ignore him Effie" I tell her, leading her into the 'room'. Carved into the wall are two bunks, and both me and Effie turn to the floor in unison.

"I'll take the floor…" She whispers, her eyes not leaving where she will be sleeping.

"We both will my mother and Prim can have the beds" I add. Effie nods goes to lean against the wall. I walk over to check the Bunker Protocol. I check them all, go through them. Step one, check for members. Finnick, Effie and me were amongst the first to reach the bunker so I'm not worried about my mother or Prim not been here. It's far down, plunging deep into thirteen. They'll be here soon. The second step is to get the packs from the supply station, one for each member. "Effie, we need to get our packs, come on" I say, and slowly she pushes herself from the wall and follows me to the supply station.

I get my families packs first, and Effie follows. As we leave we have to squeeze through the crowd now working its way towards the station. "Plutarch is right, they're following you" Effie tells me weakly as we get back to our compartment and sit on the floor, opening our packs and examining the contents. Mine and Effie's are identical whilst my mother and Prim's have the slight difference of containing clothes fit for any medical duties they may be called to.

"Are there any more steps?" Effie asks. I look to the paper and sigh.

"Await further instruction" I say, reading from the card simply. Effie nods and begins to put the contents from the pack she had just emptied back inside the casing. "When do you think we will get these 'further instructions'?" I ask Effie. She shrugs and stares up at me.

"When do you think this will be over?" She asks. It is my turn to shrug. I have no idea. I just hope it is soon. A while after the exchange my mother arrives. Whilst we were amongst the first she is one of the last.

"Where's Prim?" I ask, echoing Effie's words from earlier. The answer I get isn't one that I want. If she left before my mother she should be here by now… where would Prim be?

"The cat!" I yell jumping up. "She's gone for the cat!"

The three of us react the same, and do so together. Jumping up and begin to run through the tide of people flooding the compartment. I can see them preparing the shut the heavy metal doors that will lock us all in ahead. And will lock Prim out if we don't hurry up. The three of us have to push our way through the crowd, and it's quite the struggle.

"Wait! Don't shut the door!" I yell towards the men, feeling a burning feeling in the back of my throat. They continue to shut it though, and I charge. With only a few centimetres left before they shut the door I stick my hand in the tiny gap and yell my sister's name over and over again.

**I hope you like it! And would really appreciate if you reviewed this!**

**Megan**


	15. Chapter 15

**Quick A/N: Shikabane-Mai, xXxNightlockxXx, TheGirlWhoWasOnFire21, DoCtOrWhOlUvEr11, Hungrygames and noctuas – thank you for your lovely reviews and comments! My exams are over for a few weeks, so I shall focus on my writing. This chapter is longer than the others to make up for how long it's taken to get it up. I hope you enjoy this! Reviews would be lovely!**

"Katniss!" My name yelled at me. It isn't from the outside, it isn't from Prim. I don't turn around; I ignore the voice and continue to yell for my missing sister. My mother is at my side now, joining me in my attempts to yell my sister to safety beside me. I wonder if it was her who was yelling, it couldn't be, my mother sounds nothing like that.

"Open the doors, you're going to hurt her" Is the next thing I hear. I stop my yelling for the slightest of seconds to see Effie stood next to the guards, her pale features blazing with something new. Something that only lasts for a moment until it's faded. But sure enough, as my screaming fires up again the guards begin to move the doors apart by the slightest of fractions.

I worm my way through the gap, there is enough room for me to wedge my shoulder into the opening to continue my attempts to locate my sister. "Prim! Prim!"

"We're coming!"

"Hold the door!"

Prim, Gale… they're finally here. They are safe and almost with us.

"You need to open the doors more, they're coming!" I tell them. And with flushed faces the guards begin to slide the doors open so my sister and Gale can get into the bunker. I don't dare move out of the fear of getting us all locked out. It is only when my sister, clutching to that ugly cat, rounds the corner I move to get her. Pulling her into a hug, resulting in Buttercup getting squashed between us. "What were you thinking?" I ask her, still holding her close.

Gale runs through the gap, turning sideways to get the baggage he is carrying through. When he comes to a stop panting ever so slightly, the doors slam shut with a grinding clank. "I couldn't leave him behind Katniss!" Prim is saying. I listen to her explanation whilst watching the scenes between Gale and Effie unfold. I don't know exactly what is been said, even if I could lip read I am too busy listening to Prim to listen to their conversation too.

Gale looks annoyed slightly, still holding onto whatever he was determined to get into the bunker. Effie looks concerned more than anything, and places a hand on Gale's arm. Her lips are saying words I can't make out. He nods, and before I can begin to wonder why Gale suddenly looks at ease Prim is talking to me. Actually her exact words are:

"You can let go now Katniss"

I somehow summon a smile down at her and release her from my arms. I glare at the cat though, which Prim doesn't approve of. I tell her to go to compartment E, and off she goes with the stupid cat meowing in her arms. I consider following her, but turn to Effie and Gale instead. Still wondering what was said between them that changed Gale's demeanour completely. It is then I notice what he is carrying. My game bag, that's what, slouched over his shoulder. The box of medical supplies we picked up on our last visit to Twelve is in his hands.

"If Peeta is right these didn't stand a chance" He tells me, placing the box in my hands whilst I take the game bag from his shoulder. I thank him, thank him for everything. Prim, my belongings… and he is off, walking to his compartment. Compartment Forty-Seven apparently, the number shared just in case I need him.

"Shall we go to our compartment Effie?" I ask. She nods her eyes suddenly wide. It is when I take her hand, balancing my medical kit under my arm that I realise why she suddenly shrunk away from the woman determined to get the guards to open the door. Seeing as everyone retired to their compartments when the doors began to shut – before our charge at them - Effie and me are being watched by 500 people as we make our way to our new home for however long the bombing lasts for.

"Just ignore them" I tell her under my breath, glaring at a pair of women with a disapproving look in their eye. I try and remain cool and calm, but seeing as everyone thinks I'm crazy there is no point. I've only helped these assumptions with my charge across the bunker. Oh well, it's not like I like most of the people down here. Let them think whatever they want about me. "Look, we're here now, you go in first" I whisper to Effie, standing back to allow her entrance to our compartment. Whilst I don't care about their opinions on me, I care about the effect their judgmental stares are having on Effie.

When Effie walks inside and away from prying eyes, I follow her in and immediately hand my mother the medical kit. I watch as she sets it down carefully. I was as Prim places Buttercup on the bottom bunk and he hides under the sheets. I could join either of them; instead I join Effie who is sat on the floor with her chin resting on her knees. Her arms tightly wrapped around her legs and her hair falling over her eyes slightly. I bend down and sit crossed legged next to her, placing my bag in front of us. I pull out the first thing, the plant book, and place it on the floor. I see Effie look up ever so slightly to watch me. My hunting jacket inherited from my father follows, my parents wedding picture… personal items kept in my drawer coming out one after the other. Finally the pearl Peeta gave me is on the top of the pile, and I knot it in the corner of the parachute still attached to the spile.

"Is that what Peeta gave you?" Effie asks me. I nod as I place it in the depths of my bag to keep it safe. It is the last thing I have of Peeta; if I protect it Peeta will be safe. And Coin's voice is suddenly flooding the room, stressing how this is not a drill. How an attack is going to happen…

And that is when the first bomb hits. As it explodes my arms act of their own accord and wrap themselves around a shaken, terrified Effie. I can't help but think of our impending doom, how we will die in the bunker, and I look up to the ceiling. I expect to see a crack there, for the walls to cave in, rocks to rain down… but nothing. Suddenly we are plunged into complete darkness, and as my arms tighten around Effie, her own are beginning to wrap around me. In the utter disorientation, in the midst of shrieks and screams and wails… I feel comforted by Effie's arms around me. I hope my own pair brings her the same feeling. I don't want her to be scared of this. There is enough in Thirteen to bring Effie nightmares, this can't be one of them.

With a hum a generator creakily springs to life. The glow almost like the candlelight we had back home in Twelve. I look down to see Effie, the light illuminating her petrified features that are staring up at me. "Are you okay?" She asks in a whisper before I can even consider asking her the same thing.

"I'm fine" I tell her, keeping one arm wrapped around her tiny frame whilst my other wanders off to rest on Prim's leg. My grip tightens slightly and I pull her over to me. She is talking to Buttercup to calm him down, and after the two of us are held by our mother she begins to delve into what kind of bomb it could be.

"We are so far down, I'm sure we'll be safe" Effie says, her head now resting on my shoulder. Her tone sounds so far away, like she is in a daydream of sorts. My mother agrees with her statement whole heartedly, and her thanking of Peeta is cut off by a grim sounding Coin who is once again talking to the citizens of Thirteen. Talking about the bomb, saying how we owe Peeta for alerting us. How there will be more bombs.

My mother is needed in duty all of a sudden. She is reluctant to leave us, despite the fact she will still be close. "I'll keep my eye on them. It isn't like they can get up to much in here" Effie says weakly, looking up to my mother and the soldier she is standing next to with a small smile. A smile to reassure them we will be fine, that my mother can go.

"We've got Buttercup too, nothing will get past him" I add. We all laugh a little at the state Buttercup is in, curled up under the covers. He gives me a half-hearted hiss, and my mother says a goodbye and a thank you to Effie and is off.

As I pull out the mattress for me and Prim to rest on for a while, Effie moves away from us. Somewhere out of sight. I wonder what she is doing; I can hear movement from the corner. I remain with Prim, wrapped up in our blankets in the cold. Asking her about Thirteen, seeing as I haven't been much of a sister lately. It is when she mentions that she thinks they will be training her up as a doctor Effie joins us, following on from my congratulations with her own.

"Are you cold Effie? Do you want to get in too?" Prim asks.

"No, I'm fine. I'm actually too warm…" Effie mumbles. I notice she is carrying my game bag, and places it at the front of the mattress. "I thought you'd like them all back in the bag and…"

"Thanks Effie" I tell her, knowing what she is saying even though she trails off. She sits on the edge of the mattress which barely dips down as she does so and takes Prim's hand in hers, bringing a smile to my sisters lips.

"Lay down Effie" I tell her, moving my head for Effie to join us comfortably. When she does I get a good deal of her hair in my face.

"Sorry!" She exclaims, quickly sweeping it to the side. Prim begins to laugh whilst I just look up at the ceiling with a smile on my face.

"Carry on with this sort of behaviour Effie, and I'll get Haymitch to tell you off" I say, making Prim laugh harder. Effie looks at me in shock, but when she sees the expression on my face she relaxes and I can see a smile almost forming on her lips. It is quickly replaced with a frown, and a frightened looking gaze instead of her previously relaxed one.

"Do you think Haymitch is okay?" Effie asks, she goes to sit up but I pull her down and into a one armed hug.

"He'll be fine. We both know Haymitch is tough" I tell her as her head rests on my shoulder once more.

"I… you're right" She mumbles, "I wish he was here now"

"Why?" I ask, continuing the conversation seeing as this is the most I have heard Effie talk since we've been in Thirteen.

"I just… he… it doesn't matter, it will sound silly" Effie says with a mumble and numerous stumbles.

"It won't sound silly at all" I say, holding back a yawn as the need to sleep suddenly washes over me.

"Well… it's like. It's like he helps to keep the nightmares away… you know?"

"Nightmares?" I ask. I know full well she has them, but we have never talked about them before.

"About being here, about the Capitol… just stupid things…"

"They aren't stupid. I know I'm not Haymitch, but I promise to do my best to protect you from the nightmares tonight" I say. I feel Prim curl up to sleep beside me as I say the words.

"You will?"

"I promise" I say. I don't know how successful this will be. Effie's words were almost childlike as she admitted what she did. She does feel like a child, curled up in my arms and beginning to drift off into slumber. My last thoughts as I begin to join her and my sister into dreamland is about Effie, and how I hope my promise will come true and she won't suffer from nightmares tonight.


	16. Chapter 16

**Offwithyourhead00,** **Savysnape7 and Shikabane-Mai – thanks so much! I'm glad you like the Katniss and Effie dynamic I have going! And to Trinketsss on Tumblr: Its fine, I often do that myself, I should really stop… Don't worry, Hayffie interaction will be happening in the flesh and fluff once the bombing on Thirteen is over. I promise. Or maybe sooner, you never know… well you will once you've finished reading this…**

**Anyway…**

Thankfully my promise turned out to come true, and that night Effie's dreams seemed to remain gratefully tranquil. However the night afterwards was a terrifying decline. I was woken by chilling screams and whimpers being shed by a daunting looking Effie in apparent, petrifying terror. Agonizing minutes passed to shake her from the intense visions of her fears, but I managed it. Trembling, Effie flung herself into my waiting arms and stayed there for a good two hours.

We only break apart when an eruption rocks the foundations of the bunker and we both jump from the sudden, unexpected impact. Once the shaking stops and the room around us freezes into place once more I turn to the older woman with her wide, tortured eyes and ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" She mumbles looking around the room with her mouth open in suspension slightly, before she places her head on my shoulder.

"Good morning!"

Both Effie and I look up at the same time in perfect synchronisation. Standing in front of us is an exhausted looking Finnick with his strong hands clamped on a frayed rope. "How are two of my favourite people?" He asks, walking over to us and sitting down next to Effie. With the three of us now leaning against the numbingly bitter wall of the bunker it makes it easier for us to sit in close proximity with one and other. Also it makes it a lot easier to lean on one and other, to support each other. Reassuringly Finnick wraps his arm around Effie's delicate shoulders and her head leaves my shoulder and rests on Finnick's sturdy frame instead.

Finnick begins to say something but my focus is on other things, I can hear an apparent heated discussion occurring outside. Slipping away from the affectionate scene unfolding between Effie and Finnick, I cross the bunker and head out of the room and find myself staring at a guard I've never really talked to and a flushed looking Boggs.

"Katniss" He says when he finally notices me stood there.

"Boggs" I reply looking from him to the pink cheeked soldier who is quickly retreating. "What are you doing down here?" I ask bluntly.

"Well it appears the bombings have stopped for a while. Approximately we have five hours to make any changes we need to personnel. I was just checking proceedings for Coin" He tells me, "How are you Soldier Everdeen?"

"I've had better days" I tell him. I can't complain though, I've had worse too.

"Well if I hear any news I'll make sure we get it to you somehow. Expect a couple of changes down here. Our president is currently arguing about one…" He mumbles distracted, before turning away and walking from the bunker with haste. Confused and interested in knowing about what the changes will be, especially the one causing altercation, I make my way back to Finnick and Effie who haven't moved in position in the slightest.

"Who was that?" Finnick asks as I sit back down once more.

"Just Boggs" I tell him, resting my head against the gelid wall. He nods, not wanting or needing any more explanation. Remaining in our individual positions for a while, not needing to speak any words to each other, we sit in comfortable silence. Slamming of a heavy object alerts us to an activity going on, obscured by our bunker wall. Finnick is the first to jump up, and informs us he will discover what is going on.

"I hope nothing is wrong…" Effie mumbles, wringing her scratched and slightly burnt hands together. I've never asked her how she got the scorch marks; I don't think I want to know though.

"There won't be. Boggs will have probably forgotten something in his bunker sweep" I tell her, taking her frantic hands in mine. She looks at me and nods before averting her gaze to the floor. Grinning from ear to ear for an unexplainable reason, Finnick re-enters the bunker. "What are you smiling at?" I ask him, sharper than intended.

"You need to see this!" He tells us in excitement, "Come on, quickly"

I look to Effie and she looks to me, "You heard him, come on" I say, pulling her up with our intertwined hands. Not much effort is needed in this task and she follows me upwards with ease. "This had best be worth it" I say, leading Effie from the room, suspicious due to the wide grin Finnick is supporting.

"You missed me princess?"

Effie, who was hiding her fragile self behind me, slowly moves her head to place it in a position which allows her to see who the man behind the voice was. Of course she didn't need to readjust herself; any of us would recognise that voice anywhere.

"H-Haymitch?" She whispers, stepping away from me and her fingers slipping out of mine.

"Who else would it be?" He says, "Come here…" He adds, holding out his arms which Effie nervously but ever so gratefully allows her tiny body to fall into.

I think I hear a muffled "I've missed you" Come from Effie, but she is too wrapped up inside Haymitch's arms to hear anything she says correctly.

"Was it worth it Katniss?" Finnick asks, turning to me with the grin still on his face and a shimmer of care in his eye.

"Very" I say, turning back on the reunion. I am joined quickly by Finnick who sits on Prim's area of the bunker bed. Minutes later Haymitch and Effie walk inside too, wrapped in a close embrace. The two stay close together for the rest of the day, and that night Prim chooses to sleep with me on the nest of blankets to allow Effie and Haymitch to share the bottom bunk of the bed.

Whilst my mother and sister have succumbed to slumber, I remain awake staring up at the dingy nothingness that hides the ceiling behind it. Darkness all around me blinds my sight but heightens my hearing, which is why I find myself overhearing a conversation begin between Haymitch and Effie who were wrapped up together in a tangle of blankets the last time I could see.

"How are you Effie?" He asks her quietly.

"I don't know…" She admits, "Better now you're here"

"Is that so? You've missed me then? Down here in this tiny bunker?"

"Yes. I have actually" Effie says timidly. I hear shuffling, movement of bodies perhaps? "I'm glad you're down here now"

"I'm glad to be down here with you too" Haymitch says "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be in a bunker with"

Silence falls, and I suspect Effie is simply smiling at the comment rather than string out words in reply. I decide to at least attempt to join my family in the land of dormancy, and just as I begin to depart the waking word I hear one last sentence spoken between the two.

"I promise I'll always look after you sweetheart, you don't have to be scared of the nightmares" Haymitch says tenderly. If Effie replies or not I don't know for I am away into sudden slumber.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! I'd really appreciate reviews! Also, does anyone else see Jeremy Renner as Boggs or is it just me?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh wow, long time no update – sorry guys. Sequoia (Your name reminds me of Disneyland Paris, just so you know), MeganWray and noctuas – thank you so much for your lovely reviews! They mean a lot! So without any further ado, onto the next chapter! Enjoy it everyone!**

The next couple of days drag along, bringing boredom with them. Nothing much happens; the power is still unreliable so we are in darkness more often than not. Rare moments of gloomy power bring little activity. Mostly people move around the bunker so their joints don't cramp up. It isn't a fun experience for anyone. Plus Buttercup went crazy and didn't leave his den from under the bed for a full day when Haymitch accidently stood on his tail. Prim wasn't too happy with Haymitch for standing on her beloved cat, but it was one of the rare times the rest of us had a little enjoyment down in the bunker – albeit at Buttercup's expense.

Once Haymitch had finished moaning about Buttercup the power went down again and we retired to our assigned beds, mattresses or whatever else we have been forced to camp on in this situation. It doesn't take long for our overcrowded bunker to get a little restless. Prim and my mother are sometimes called to work, but even then the chatter doesn't disappear all together. Prim may be the main culprit by starting off every single conversation, but once she goes we continue onwards in our aimless chatting.

It may be aimless, but it does have a good effect. I've learnt more about Effie in two days than I have over the best part of a year. During her school years she was the fastest person in her class, she first started been an escort during the 65th Hunger Games – the same year Finnick won and (amongst other things) she hates cats because she got clawed by one as a child. Seeing as I hate cats and Haymitch now does because of the Buttercup accident, we all spend a while discussing why cats are the 'worst animals in existence' as Effie put it. It's probably the most normal conversation I've participated in with both my former mentor and escort. It was a nice change.

It was in that moment, discussing the numerous things we hate about cats, that a new activity was born. I was simply clicking the torch on and off, and for the first time since Haymitch stood on him, Buttercup leapt from under the bed and attempted to grab the light. Seeing as he darted from under the bed I was sitting on and zoomed under my feet, it took me by surprise and I dropped the torch. Confused, Buttercup sulked away.

So I picked up the torch and flicked the light on again. Rapidly, Buttercup leapt for the light but I flicked the switch off. In the darkness I could hear Buttercup let out a muddled meow and Haymitch and Effie laughing at the sight of Buttercup. "That's one crazy cat…" Haymitch muttered as I flicked the torch back on and Buttercup leapt for it.

"What are you doing?" Prim asked, returning to our compartment after her medical assistance was no longer needed.

"We're playing… Crazy Cat…" I tell her, moving myself further up the bed so Prim can sit down.

"Crazy Cat? What's that?" Prim asked, squinting to find Buttercup on the floor in the darkness.

"Watch," I say, aiming the Torch for the wall and flicking the switch on. Immediately Buttercup hisses and leaps for the light, hitting the wall with a thud. Before Prim can complain about the treatment of Buttercup I flash the light out of our compartment and onto the floor in front of another compartment. Not intruding their privacy, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could see the light streaming through. Instantly Buttercup chases after it and a child's laughter makes all of us stand up and rush from the room to see what trouble Buttercup as caused. Instead we find him lying on his back, attempting to turn his self over and back onto four legs.

"Do that again!" The child who laughed asks me. She can't be any older than six, and her wide eyes are begging me to do the Crazy Cat thing for her again. I look to her parents, who don't seem too happy about the intrusion of Buttercup and me, but I hand her the torch and tell her to aim it in any direction. She follows my instructions and is soon laughing again at Buttercup's attempt to catch it. "He is a funny cat!" She laughs before running back to her parents who welcome her with open arms.

Soon Crazy Cat is an activity enjoyed by all. I'm even given a special batch of batteries to use up on the game. However it can get a little boring watching silly, little Buttercup bounce for the beam of light streaming from the torch. The residents of the bunker don't think that way, but they aren't the ones doing all the work and aiming the torch for Buttercup. With every leap performed by the ginger mass of hair there is a collected choir of laughter from the assembled people of the bunker.

"Here," I say, passing the torch over to Effie, "You have a go, just flick the switch and you'll be fine,"

Timidly she takes the torch from me and when Buttercup begins to purr she flashes it close to a group of young girls, when Buttercup pounces they jump back and begin to laugh at the superstar cat. One of them even strokes him. I turn to talk to Effie but I stop when I see Haymitch wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to him. As her body moves closer to him she flicks the switch again and jumps at the click it makes, making a soft smile form on Haymitch's lips. Buttercup leaps once again but she turns off the torch before he can claim success.

"You jumped more than Buttercup did just then Effie," Haymitch tells her, which brings a small smile to her lips.

"I… it just made me… jump…" Effie mumbles, her head moving to rest on Haymitch's shoulder.

"Obviously," Haymitch says, moving his hand up and down her back in a reassuring fashion.

"I didn't expect it to make… such a loud noise…" Effie admits with a small smile when Haymitch's hand comes to a rest on her back.

"Scary thing those torches, aren't they Effie?" Haymitch says with a small smirk, a glint of something I haven't seen inhabit Haymitch before.

"Shut up Haymitch," she mumbles, not able to remove her rare smile.

"How's my favorite little Trinket?" Finnick asks, swooping into action before I can glare at him in an attempt to stop him. Ruining the moment is obviously something Finnick excels in.

"Good thanks," She tells him, her head not leaving Haymitch's shoulder.

"What about you Haymitch?" He asks, running a hand through Effie's already messy hair and placing it in a more atrocious state.

"I'm fine, to say I'm in a bunker deep underground," Haymitch replies, running his hand across Effie's hair in an attempt to make it lie flat on her head again. If anything it makes it worse. I doubt Effie notices this, she is too busy flicking the switch on and off for Buttercup to chase.

"Katniss, can I have a word?" Finnick asks, smirking at the state of Effie's hair.

"What, don't I get a 'how are you?'" I ask.

"No, because I know you'll lie or be sarcastic," he grins, "Come on, it's urgent," he adds before I can reply to his previous comment. Sighing I stand up and follow him into a corner away from the Crazy Cat crew.

"What do you want Finnick?" I ask, demanding an answer from him.

"Do you think Haymitch and Effie are…you know…?"

"No, I don't know. Expand please," I sigh.

"You know! Together?" Finnick asks.

"No. They aren't!" I say, "They aren't like that, I've seen them together before this, and they are at each other's throats more often than not,"

"Look at them now though, Katniss," Finnick says, grabbing my shoulders and spinning me around. "Do they look like an argumentative twosome?"

No, the answer is no. It's a peaceful scene between the two of them. Effie resting her head on Haymitch's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her comfortingly. "Well, they are good friends aren't they?" I shrug.

"Yeah, and I'm the Mockingjay. Look Katniss, something has to be going on. Has Effie said anything to you?" Finnick asks.

"Since when have you been such a gossip?" I ask Finnick, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Katniss, I just want to make sure she is okay. I mean, Haymitch is a nice guy, but we both know what Effie has just been through. I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't want her getting hurt," Finnick says softly.

"No you're not," I say, "We both want her to be okay, and so does Haymitch,"

"I know that Katniss, but she's fragile and she needs someone to help her,"

"I'm helping her"

"So am I, so's Prim and so is Haymitch," Finnick says, "If you ask me, he does love her-"

"Of course he loves her, but not like-"

"You know what I mean by that Katniss…" He sighs.

"Come on, we'd best get back to them before they suspect anything," I say so we don't have to talk about it. Nodding Finnick joins me and we head back to them.

"You missed us?" Finnick asks with a grin, giving the impression nothing of importance was said between us.

"Didn't notice you were gone," Haymitch shrugs. At Finnick's shocked face he grins and pushes his shoulder slightly, "Calm down pretty boy, I may not have missed you but Effie wondered where you were,"

"Do you want a go Finnick?" Effie asks, handing Finnick the torch. With the smile, Finnick takes the torch and begins to flash it on and off much to the amusement of the crowd. Standing up suddenly, thoughts from my conversation with Finnick are threatening to spill out. My rash decision to jump up startles Effie who turns to look at me with an open mouth.

"Are you okay Katniss?" She asks in shock.

"Yeah, I'm fine Effie," I say, putting on a smile for her. "I need to talk to Prim though, I'll be right back," I tell her, before setting off to find my sister. It doesn't take long; she is sitting next to a girl around the same age as her.

"Prim, can I have a word please?" I ask. Nodding my little sister stands up immediately and follows me back to our compartment and we sit on the mattress together.

"What's wrong Katniss?" She asks me, reaching out and taking my hand.

"Prim, what do you think is going on between Haymitch and Effie?" I ask, wanting answers I couldn't ask Finnick for. Why my sister would be able to deliver them, I don't know…

**This is long in an attempt to apologize for how long it has taken me to publish this. I hope you like it, and if you reviewed I would love you forever and bake you brownies… or something…**

**Megan.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Dear readers. Wow, it's been a while and I can only apologize for that. There have been numerous things going off in my life recently, exams, drama, sickness etc but I shan't make excuses for not sitting down and getting a chapter up because the time passed since the last update is ridiculous and when I have such wonderful people like you asking for more I can't give you reasons why you aren't getting more. The last review asking me to update was yesterday at the time of writing, then another a couple of days before that, and another, and another… all of these reviews, all 153 of them from start to finish were what got me sat at my desk and writing, so this chapter is for you, for all you Hayffie fans who continue to motivate me and my writing. I can only hope you enjoy this since you have waited long enough for it. **

Apparently, my mentor and escort's blossoming relationship is evident to those of all ages. Innocent little Prim declared with excitement that she could see that there was something going on between the two. Of course, conversation turned to me and my own situation with Peeta… of how he could be the pawn used by Snow to break me. After that, everything became routine. Plunged into darkness, light occasionally flicking on and off with continuous rounds of Crazy Cat put in place to keep those lacking moral happy, if only for a few hours. Within the knotting and unknotting of Finnick's fraying rope and the constant need to be a figure of reassurance, time spent observing the weirdly adorable pairing of Haymitch and Effie has been difficult. When I see him he is talking to soldiers about some sort of strategy and when he is away, Effie remains close to Finnick, her bitten nails working away at her own piece of rope. Over… under… through the loop… frantically tying and untying the knot to achieve her only reward of not falling into certain oblivion. We talk sometimes, me and Effie, but it seems she is slowly reverting back to a mute state. She smiles, trying to reassure, but I know the show she is performing. I make a note to mention it to Haymitch, but he is only around at night and he stays with Effie and I'd rather he aid her than answer my questions.

Finally, blissfully, we can leave the confines of the bunkers… but of course, my Mockingjay duties rear their head at the first opportunity possible. Boggs signals for me, I follow the path his beckoning fingers set for me. Gale in turn follows me who is followed by Finnick who is clasping at Effie's hand, her fingers pink from the rope she seems unable to let go of. We walk; we end up at a room unremarkably similar to Command. Coffee is passed around, Haymitch has been holding onto a cup for Effie who daintily takes it from him. Features scrunching up when she consumes the beverage that is too strong for her, still, she continues to drink from it. I think the numerous sugar cubes Finnick handed her greatly improved her caffeine experience.

Back when she was mind-washed ruthlessly by the colorful twisted malevolence of the Capitol, Effie was certainly something else. Never had I seen her blonde locks, they had been restricted from freefall by the repulsive curls of pink, green, gold or even orange wigs that must have cost more than my living expenses in District Twelve. Her clothes had been made from the finest of fabrics that clung to her and her heels were the sorts that were high enough to cause serious injury. In stark contrast, my Effie, Finnick's Effie, Haymitch's Effie… the real Effie… she is more of the simple kind. Preferring to leave her natural hair hanging loosely so she can obscure the painful cuts that remain etched into her porcelain skin. Her body sways without elegance, her usual disposition limp, a far cry from the tottering woman in heels. It seems absurd to imagine her with her face full of makeup these days. When I used to think of Effie all I could see was a superficial façade that was grating to say the list. Now I think of the pain endured, the torture she went through, the scars that remain… deep and crude and twisted into her skin as a grim testimony of the destruction of humanity. Torture she suffered through to keep the rebellion a secret. Now I have nothing but respect for her. That said, she certainly hasn't lost her ability to decorate given the chance, for her silence is my main companion when I prepare to take on the image of the Mockingjay once more. She is preparing my hair whilst the rest of my prep team tries to make me look decent for the cameras.

"It looks great Effie," I tell her as she brings piece upon piece into a camera worthy fashion. In fact, it looks more than great, but I'm not exactly renowned for my compliments so she is stuck with a great and a small, tired smile which she somehow manages to return.

"Thanks," she mumbles, finishing both the job followed swiftly by her coffee. "Drink it, you're going to need it," she tells me when she notices my cup is still full. Like her's, Finnick enhanced my cup with his trademark sugar cubes, so it doesn't take anything else to make me take a sip, starting a gradual build up of buzzing shooting through my body as I get ready to face the camera's once more.

"I… I don't," I begin, not sure which words I want to use, "I'm not sure about this," I finally manage to inform her. Of course I want to do this, get news out that the Mockingjay and District 13 are fine and still totally involved in the Rebellion, but I don't feel like myself. The coffee certainly didn't help this feeling of dread. I remain close to Effie, who is yet to reply to me, as the doors crash open and I am faced with fresh air for the first time in what feels like a long time. With Effie's handiwork, my hair is tied away from the winds, allowing a relaxing breeze to attack my features. Effie however ends up with her hair sticking to whatever piece of her skin it can find. An amusing sight, I can't help but smile at her attempts to clear it from her face.

"You'll be fine," She finally tells me, her voice allows me to believe that I will be but her eyes tell a different story. When she sees me looking she adds a small, "I mean that Katniss," and away from her affected Capitol accent, I can accept that as a sincere statement. I nod, grip her hand for a second, and then stride out to meet the rest of the crew. Almost obediently she follows.

"Effie?"

"Yes?"

"I… Just stay close during this alright?" I ask her, once again fearing the worse and this time unable to shake it away.

"I promise," She tells me. Then I smile and she returns it, the pulling of her lips highlighting the severity of a scar running deep across her chin, and then we walk together, side by side, ready to face the unknown nature of the precarious times ahead that revolve around a single camera capturing my every move in attempts to both intimidate and inspire. Gulping, I can't help but cast a look across at the older woman, who looks back at me and once again tries to make me feel better but her pained look doesn't do my any favors. So I do what she does. I plaster on a smile and opt to simply get the job done instead, no more complaints.

**Okay, so I know there isn't much Hayffie in this, but there will be more I promise, I just needed to get the narrative moving once more and get back into the writing style of this story. I hope you enjoyed, reviews are totally appreciated and I love you all!**


End file.
